Some interesting comments by Saudi moneyman Turki Alalshikh have been posted on social media on X, and Turki has had much to say about Terence Crawford. Alalshikh – who recently said the Crawford-Canelo fight is off the table, that he doesn’t want it anymore – writes how an offer will be made to Crawford for him to fight Vergil Ortiz (last seen being pushed harder than hard by Serhii Bohachuk, this in a Fight of the Year that cries out for a rematch), but Turki doubts “Bud” will take it.
And regarding a fight between Crawford and new welterweight star Jaron “Boots” Ennis, Alalshikh says this is “not the top fight we want to see.” Alalshikh says he thinks Crawford wants Canelo and nobody else and that the 36-year-old pound-for-pound star may retire if he cannot get the Mexican star in the ring.
“I don’t think Crawford will fight anyone except Canelo,” Alalshikh told Charlie Parsons earlier today. “We [will] give him an offer for [Vergil] Ortiz, [but] I don’t know if he’ll take it or not. We have an agreement to do [a] big fight for Ortiz if Crawford doesn’t take the fight.”
So, might we never see Crawford fight again if he cannot get that super fight with Canelo? Who knows, but this is what Alalshikh feels could be the case. If he doesn’t ever fight again, Crawford, we know, is a lock for the Hall of Fame, with some saying he deserves all-time great status; this is a debate for another time.
As for Canelo, Turki says he still wants to see Canelo fight David Benavidez and that “nothing is impossible.”
“If anyone can make that fight (Canelo-Benavidez), it is Riyadh Season,” he said.
So what could the “big fight” be for Ortiz if Crawford shows no interest in facing the unbeaten 154-pounder? Might Ortiz end up fighting Ennis, who Crawford doesn’t seem interested in fighting? Maybe.
Right now, Alalshikh is busy plotting big fight scenarios, and there are promises of more huge, stacked cards over the coming months.
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His Excellency Turki Alalshikh thinks WBA junior middleweight champion Terence Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) is only interested in a clash against superstar Canelo Alvarez at 168, not in a match against WBC interim 154-lb champ Vergil Ortiz Jr.
It’ll be up to Turki to put together an appealing deal for Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) to agree to a fight against Crawford, who would be moving up two weight divisions to take the match against him.
That’s 14 lbs Crawford would be moving up, and a lot of weight for a guy that looked weak in his recent debut at 154 against WBA junior middleweight champion Israil Madrimov on August 3rd.
“I don’t think Crawford will fight anyone except Canelo,” said Turki Alalshikh to the Stomping Grounds about Terence Crawford only wanting to fight Canelo Alvarez next, not WBC interim junior middleweight champion Vergil Ortiz Jr.
Crawford’s Perceived Greed and Risk Aversion
Social media fans criticize the 36-year-old Crawford for only wanting to fight Canelo. They feel he’s greedy and unwilling to take risks after his unimpressive fight against Madrimov, which he almost lost.
People want to see Crawford properly tested at 154 against Vergil Ortiz Jr., Sebastian Fundora, Tim Tszyu, and Serhii Bohachuk before he can fight King Canelo Alvarez at 168.
Fans feel that Crawford is ducking Vergil and Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis, just looking for a quick mega-money payday to give him loads of cash to cushion his retirement.
The way that Crawford is trying to move straight into a fight against Canelo without fighting the killers at 154 is off-putting to fans because he didn’t look good against Madrimov. Moreover, the fighters that Crawford beat at 147, 140, and 135 during his career were a mix of old and lesser guys. Crawford’s resume has no prime elite-level fighters, and he’s still unproven.
Fans doubt Crawford would beat the young gun Vergil Jr., and they don’t like how he’s trying to avoid that fight, as he did with Boots Ennis, to get that massive payday against Canelo.
Crawford hasn’t earned the right to fight Canelo, and his reported low PPV numbers for the Madrimov event are even more reasons why he shouldn’t get the match against Alvarez next.
