WITH his dominant win over Dierry Jean on October 24, Terence Crawford continued his meteoric rise up the mythical pound-for-pound rankings. Attention has immediately turned to who the unbeaten Omaha native should fight next – many have named Manny Pacquiao as his best option.
We’ve listed five men we’d like to see ‘Bud’ mix it up with next. Let us know what you think.
5. Amir Imam
The flashy 24-year-old has gone fairly under the radar outside of devoted boxing circles but is one of the hottest talents in the super-lightweight division. Unbeaten in 18 (15 inside the distance) the New Yorker is ranked highly by several governing bodies and while admittedly green, has bags of potential and could just rise to the occasion against Crawford. However, as an Al Haymon fighter, Imam may not be able to secure a clash with the Top Rank-promoted Crawford.
4. Lucas Matthysse
The hard-hitting Argentinian seemed to be found out by Viktor Postol in his last outing, relinquishing his position as the top dog at 140lbs. However he remains a supremely dangerous night for any man and would be a great acid test for Crawford given his concussive power. Matthysse operates under Golden Boy Promotions, who have begun to work with Top Rank and broadcasters HBO.
3. Viktor Postol
In scalping Matthysse, the unbeaten Ukrainian launched himself onto the world scene and scooped the WBC crown in the process. Not only would a fight with Crawford be a unification bout (with Crawford holding the WBO bauble), it would also determine who is the best boxer at super-lightweight. Stylistically, it would ask questions of Crawford he has not yet had to answer with Postol’s range and spearing jab.
2. Manny Pacquiao
Ask Crawford and this fight would undoubtedly be at the top of the list. The Filipino icon plans to have one more fight before he retires and is reportedly considering Crawford as the opponent after his win over Jean. A win over a living legend would boot Terence’s stock infinitely and he would earn a career-high purse in the process. However, Crawford is not enough of a draw outside of Omaha to be a truly big fight for Pacquiao to go out on.
1. Adrien Broner
Love him or hate him, Adrien Broner draws attention. The enigmatic 26-year-old is already a four-weight world champion, having most recently won the WBA’s super-lightweight crown. Infinitely quotable, the Cincinnati native could well draw a rise from the respectful Crawford, who is yet to come into his own as a self-promoter. Their styles could also mesh well with both men possessing great skill but also a serious mean streak. Indeed, with Broner’s role as the villain forever confirmed, Crawford could become the hero in many fans’ eyes should he win.
Promotional and broadcast agreements would likely hit a snag however as Broner is linked to Haymon.
