Terence Crawford wants the big names like Manny Pacquiao and Keith Thurman, but the odds of him getting any of the top welterweights during the pandemic is slim and none.
Crawford’s promoter Bob Arum admits that the venues aren’t there for a fight between Terence and Pacquiao.
What adds to the problems is Crawford not willing to take a pay-cut. If he’s going to fight during the pandemic, which could for the remainder of 2020, then the crowds might not be there. Crawford says he won’t fight if it involves him taking a cut in pay. So what happens if the pandemic lasts three years like the 1918 Spanish Flu?
Crawford’s desire to fight the 41-year-old Pacquiao in 2020 sounds like an impossible dream, and it’s too unlikely for it to be taken seriously. Pacquiao has better options than Crawford, and he won’t have to chase these guys around the ring. At Pacquiao’s age, fighting a switch-hitting counter-puncher that can move probably isn’t high on his list.
Arum has doubts on Pacquiao vs. Crawford fight happening
“I don’t know if those proposals will be available for this year. That is the problem,” said Arum to talkboxing.com. “I don’t know whether the Mid-East venues will allow spectators this year, they may not allow it until there’s a vaccine.
Otherwise, we have to look for Terence Crawford to fight a major welterweight.
“There are a number that are possibilities. [Keith] Thurman, [Shawn] Porter or this kid [Yordenis] Ugas, the Cuban who’s a good, good welterweight.”
All the backup names that Arum lists are guys that unlikely to get the fight with Crawford because they’ll require fans at the venues. Top Rank isn’t going to get guys like Porter, Thurman, or Kell Brook to fight Crawford for chicken-feed in behind closed doors events.
Crawford doesn’t want to take pay-cut
“Where I am now, you pay me, and we’re going to have a fight,” said Crawford to Brian Custer’s Last Stand podcast. “Don’t tell me I have to take a pay cut during a pandemic because I don’t feel that’s right.
“I already went through what I had to go through coming up, and now you’re telling me to go back to ground one and take a pay cut.
“I don’t feel like I can do that. Maybe,” said Crawford when asked if he might have to wait until 2021 to fight in front of live crowds to avoid a pay cut. “If that’s the price we got to take, then so be it. The sky is the limit right now. I’m looking for all the opportunities and the champion,” said Crawford.
So there it is. Crawford ISN’T going to take a pay-cut for him to fight without fans in 2020, and he’s ready to wait it out until a vaccine is produced and given to the public. Again, this is something that may not happen in 2021 or 2022. Historically, flu vaccines take a long, long time to create.
It’ll be great if there is a vaccine created in time for big-ticket guys like Crawford to fight in 2021, but what happens if it doesn’t get produced? I’m just saying. Crawford will get old waiting for a vaccine, and that’s why it’s important for him to fight in 2020, even if it means that he has to take a monstrous pay-cut. It’s better that Crawford fights rather than sitting on the shelf, rusting.
What Crawford needs to do is follow what Andre Ward said he’d do if he were in a situation like this. Ward said he would get the best deal he could, and he’d focus on being busy.
Terence wants all the top welterweights
“So, I’m gunning for all of them. He wants to be the best in the division, and I feel I’m by far the best in the division. You got to see who’s number one. Me winning. I don’t see anything else happening,” said Crawford when asked how he sees a fight between him and Spence playing out.
“I don’t feel like nobody can beat me. I don’t think he’ll fight me by going straight at me. That would be a bad decision for him. I think he’ll use his jab and try and impose his will on me.
“I think it’ll be a chess match because I’m always changing things up. If he can’t keep up with me changing up the style, changing up the pace and changing up the fighting style, then he’s going to fall behind,” said Crawford on Spence. ”
This is a bad time for Crawford to be trying to get the top PBC fighters to face him because of the crowd situation. Unless Arum can find a country outside of the U.S that is willing to put up a mess of money to stage Crawford’s fights, then it probably won’t be possible for him to get any of the four welterweights that Arum is interested in matching him against in 2020.
Crawford bitter about not getting Pacquiao fight
“I’ve been chasing Pacquiao since 2015, trying to get that fight,” said Crawford. “They’ve been picking other fighters over me like Brandon Rios, Jessie Vargas, all those types of fighters instead of me when I was there to fight,” said a bitter-sounding Crawford about Pacquiao.
Crawford should try and forget about Pacquiao not facing him in the past. If you look at it from Pacquiao’s side, you can understand why he didn’t fight Crawford years ago.
If Pacquiao had done that, he would have been helping Crawford’s career and getting almost nothing in return because the Nebraska brought nothing to the table. If sticks around the sport of boxing until he gets old, it’ll be interesting to see what his reaction will be when his promoter offers him a fight against a young upstart that has no fan base to speak of and brings nothing to the table.
If that fighter is someone that would have a good chance at beating Crawford when he’s older, will he readily agree to face him, or would he take the winnable fights against guys that the fans are familiar with and want to see?