Terence Crawford has established himself as a pound-for-pound great, but the unified super-middleweight champion could further add to his legacy, after being offered a world title shot in a new weight-class.
‘Bud’ first won a world title as a lightweight and the Omaha-born phenomenon has proceeded to pick up belts at super-lightweight, welterweight, super-welterweight and now super-middleweight – becoming boxing’s sixth five-division world champion.
As a result, the 38-year-old is now being linked to a move down to middleweight, where he could become just the third fighter in boxing history to reign in six different divisions, with WBC champion Carlos Adames being touted as a possible opponent.
However, unpaid sanctioning fees have seen Crawford stripped of his WBC super-middleweight crown, whilst the three-belt middleweight unification clash between Janibek Alimkhanuly and Erislandy Lara has been cancelled due to a positive drugs test.
Consequently, a door has been opened for Crawford to challenge for middleweight honours with an alternate sanctioning body, as WBA titleholder Erislandy Lara and his trainer, Bob Santos, called for a clash with the undefeated sensation in an interview with K.O. Artist Sports.
“I’m going to say something on his [Lara’s] behalf, he is not a talker, but I am talker. ‘BoMac’ [Brian McIntyre], if you’re listening, you let Crawford know, any time, any place. Yes, you guys beat Canelo, he [Lara] beat Canelo too.
“We can do that fight any time, any place. It would be a great fight stylistically and this would be the most technical, most difficult fight, in my mind, that Crawford has ever fought.
“Styles makes fights and this guy’s style is a problem for anybody. He is the ‘Cuban Assassin’, from distance, he has got length, he has got speed, in that left-handed stance he can do a lot of different things.”
As Santos alludes to, Lara lost a controversial split-decision to Canelo back in 2014, but Guantanamo-born southpaw has since picked up world titles at both super-welterweight and middleweight.
At present, 42-year-old Lara remains as boxing’s oldest current world champion, but he is expected to attempt a defence of his title on Saturday night against a late-notice opponent following Alimkhanuly’s withdrawal.
