Terence Crawford appears content with retirement and satisfied with the legendary career that he has had, but one welterweight world champion is hoping to convince ‘Bud’ to return, confident that he could put an end to his undefeated record.
Crawford held the undisputed title at super-lightweight, welterweight and super-middleweight, with his win over Canelo Alvarez deemed to be one of the most impressive victories this side of the millennium.
Although, those divisions are now moving on, with the welterweight scene perceived to be one of the most competitive in the sport, home to the likes of Devin Haney, Ryan Garcia, Conor Benn and Manny Pacquiao.
In September, Benn is set to challenge Garcia for the WBC welterweight world title, and Crawford predicted that the Briton would be able to pull off the upset.
“I think that is a good fight. I think, of course, Ryan has got the experience, but I think that Conor has got the size and the power. I think that it’s going to be an interesting fight moving forward.
“I’m going to go with Conor, I think that he is going to upset him.”
In response, Garcia has now hit back at Crawford, declaring that his achievements are overrated and that he retired too early, without facing his true rivals, in an interview with Ariel Helwani.
“Terence Crawford is a hater, bro. At the end of the day, I don’t know why he is hating on me.
“Obviously he is biased because he don’t like me, ‘oh, he [Benn] is strong and he is this and that,’. I don’t know why he don’t like me, [maybe] because I talk my s**t, but I have an opinion too – that he never fought anybody who was really young, talented and hungry.
“He didn’t fight Vergil [Ortiz], he didn’t fight Boots [Ennis], he retired too early. Cool, you beat Canelo, but Canelo was already past his prime in a way.
“You can’t really run around saying that you did everything you could possibly have done when, guess what? You didn’t have many miles on you [when you retired].”
Garcia then went on to call for a showdown with ‘Bud’, believing that the Omaha-born switch-hitter has never shown that he possesses the skills to cause him any issues.
“I have always wanted to fight him. I still want to fight him. I want to get him out of retirement and beat him. I don’t see anything that [tells me] I can’t beat him.
“People want to hype it up but I don’t see anything that I would have a problem with. It would be a good fight but I know I’d beat him.”
Garcia-Benn takes place on Saturday, September 12, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, where Garcia may pile further pressure onto Crawford if he is victorious.
