Crawford Thinks the Business Side is Why Guys Won’t Fight Him
WBO welterweight champion Terence “Bud” Crawford (35-0, 26ko), has publicly vented frustration concerning the difficulties in getting in the mix with some of the division’s bigger names.
It was once believed a collision course with unified champion Errol “The Truth” Spence Junior was imminent. Although, that track is now on pause due to the uncertain condition of the Dallas native. Furthermore, the WBA champion Manny Pacquiao doesn’t seem to be looking in that direction. Lastly, the other Premier Boxing Champion contenders are waiting to see what are the plans of the unified champion. This has left the WBO champion outside in the cold wearing only a windbreaker jacket.
ITS JUST BUSINESS
It has become a theme within the boxing community that perhaps it is fear that is holding up the PBC top guys from fighting the talented Nebraska champion. That would be a good assessment, except the WBO champion doesn’t believe that. Bud offered an alternative explanation and during an ESPN interview.
“I wouldn’t say they scared, I would just think it’s a big risk. You got to think about it. We’ve (fighters) been fighting since we were little kids, fighting the top fighters there is to fight in the amateurs.”
“Fighting is something we do so as a fighter. I wouldn’t say another fighter is scared, I just look at it as a business move.”
The reality is that’s true and it’s very common in the sport. PBC has been able to make profitable in-house fights. Case in point, Top Rank used to do several rematches of Manny Pacquiao versus Juan Manuel Marquez and Timothy Bradley.
When fighters aren’t part of the business plan or working with the network that controls the majority of the divisional belts, it tends to leave other fighters at a huge disadvantage practically begging for a handout. There’s a comparable example with WBC middleweight champion Jermall “Hit Man” Charlo. The PBC Texas native wanted a fight with boxing’s biggest earner, Golden Boy Promotions Canelo Alvarez. Once the Mexican superstar was elevated to franchise champion, the possibility of a fight went out the window.
THIS IS NOT NEW
Furthermore, looking at the landscape of the middleweight division, the other champions are DAZN fighters. Basically, the WBC champion is in a temporary lock-out.
Another prime example is WBA light-heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol. There is movement in the division, but nobody is looking in the direction of the talented champion.
Then, of course, fights get made when all parties involved feel that, financially, it’s time. How can any of us forget the five-year-long saga between two of boxing’s previous respective top two pound for pound fighters, Floyd Mayweather Jr and Manny Pacquiao?
Another example would be Mexican mega-star Alvarez and then unified champion Gennady Golovkin. Remember how long everyone inside the boxing community was screaming for this fight? The, like clock work, when the fight reached it’s financial peak, we got to see it. In boxing, there are two sides: the boxing side and the business side. There are times the business side hurts things for the overall sport. The end result is we ultimately do get to see the fights, its just agonizing waiting until it happens.
The WBO champion will be defending the title against Egidijus Kavaliauskas at the famous Madison Square Garden Arena, New York on December 14, live on ESPN.
By: Terence Crawford
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