Having previously fought and lost to Manny Pacquiao, Adrien Broner has considered how his former foe would fare in a prime-for-prime battle with Terence Crawford.
The two all-time greats were in talks to collide in 2021, only for Pacquiao to schedule a clash with Errol Spence Jr before losing his WBA title to replacement opponent Yordenis Ugas.
But even if he had fought Crawford, the Filipino icon was hardly in his prime following back-to-back points victories over Broner and Keith Thurman.
Instead, many consider his peak to be around 2009, back when he scored vicious stoppages over Ricky Hatton and Miguel Cotto.
Crawford, meanwhile, was arguably in his prime when he fought Spence in 2023, becoming the undisputed welterweight king with a dominant ninth-round finish.
All eight of his 147lb outings, in fact, resulted in stoppages where ‘Bud’ utilised his freakish 75in reach and proved the superior technician.
Broner, therefore, has told FightHype that he believes Crawford would be too skilled for a remarkably fast and ferocious Pacquiao.
“Crawford [would win]. I just think he’s too technical. First of all he’s sharp, he don’t fade [in the later rounds], he’s long and he got power … Timing beats speed any day.”
While Pacquiao famously became an eight-division world champion, five of them lineal, Crawford retired in December after having won all four belts in three weight classes.
He was also the consensus top dog at 135lbs and held a major super-welterweight belt, yet most would sooner applaud his undisputed title reigns.
In particular, his victories over Spence and Canelo Alvarez, who he unanimously outpointed in September, will almost certainly see him secure a place in the Hall of Fame.
