Terence Crawford’s commentary on his victory over Canelo Alvarez earned him a place among the first three in the list of all time Pound-For-Pound has fans who debate this subject, and many of them believe He is completely ignorant On the history of sport.
(Credit: Zach Delgado / Matchroom)
Historical naivety
They believe that Crawford does not know big pasts, so he naively thinks that a victory over Canelo alone is enough to place it in front of the combatants who have done much more in their careers. The big ones of the past did not only have two good names on their curriculum vitae, as Crawford does.
They had files filled with great talents. You cannot blame Terence not to know the great past fighters. Crawford is not the only active fighter to ignore the history of sport.
In an interview Manouk AkopyanCrawford (41-0, 31 kos) stressed that he essentially increases three weight categories when he defended Canelo (62-2-2, 39 ko) for what he predicted will be the undeniable average weight championship on September 13.
It would be impressive if Crawford had to beat Canelo to become an undisputed champion with three divisions. However, it would be difficult to place it strongly because of its limited CV.
Compared to fighters from the past, who have fought an excellent opposition throughout their careers, the Térence’s assessment is almost entirely sterile of the elite opposition. He has a victory over Errol Spence, but not much else on his CV would suggest that he belongs in the Top 3 or the Top 50 Book for Book of all time.
Top Pound for Pound Fighters of the past
Sugar Ray Robinson
Muhammad Ali
Oscar de la Hoya
Roberto Durán
Henry Armstrong
Willie Pep
Pernell Whitaker
Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Manny Pacquiao
Roy Jones Jr.
Sugar Ray Leonard
Julio César Chávez
Jack Johnson
Jack Dempsey
Ezzard Charles
Archie Moore
Sandy Saddler
Ricardo López
Carlos Monzón
Bernard Hopkins
This is just a small list of fighters who have compiled better records than Crawford. Even if Terence makes his best Canelo a past on September 13, it would be crazy to place it above these fighters.
Delusions or reality?
It is normal for a fighter to trust, but when their assessment of themselves passes over board, he appears to be sad, deceived and disconnected from reality. The swollen sense of Crawford of his achievements has been there for years now.
So it’s not just a new thing. He has always evaluated himself at the top, and no one has paid him attention so far because he had never fought an important opposition.
At this point, Alvarez is widely considered to have lost its ambition and only fighting for money. Crawford is a bit in the same boat. He also doesn’t take risks. He seems to focus on obtaining the greatest salary possible without fighting the most formidable contenders. Canelo is the biggest salary for the native of Nebraska.
Canelo currently has three belts, but he is a favorite to collect the last remaining belt against the IBF champion of 168 LB William Scull on May 3. Crawford only fought once to 154 after riding 147 last August. So, it is difficult to really call it an average junior weight, because experience in this weight category is limited to the only fight against Israil Madrimov.
Crawford did not want to warm up at 168 years before challenging Canelo for his belts in September, but he could have. It was his choice, and he chose to sit down and wait.
Last update on 03/26/2025
