Terence Crawford has already put on 154-lb undisputed champion Jermell Charlo on notice that he’s next on the chopping block after beating IBF/WBA/WBC welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. to become the undisputed champion at 147.
If Jermell Charlo (35-1-1, 19 KOs) doesn’t vacate his four belts at junior middleweight to move up to 160, Crawford (38-0, 29 KOs) will be looking to rip away his straps to become a three-division undisputed champion in 2023.
Jermell needs to decide whether he wants to stick around at 154 to defend his undisputed championship against Crawford and the other top contenders that are ready to dethrone him.
Charlo, 31, has been averse to fighting Crawford, but he may not have any choice in the matter soon.
“I meant what I said. Once I beat Spence if Charlo don’t move up, I’m coming for him,” Crawford said to the Porter Way Podcast.
“I didn’t see the [Jermell Charlo vs. Brian Castano] fight, but I heard he won by a tenth-round knockout. Congratulations to Charlo, but he’s on my hit list. I got two people on my hit list. Jermell and Spence. Spence is first.”
“I just can’t wait for the contract to get signed, and I get to go to training camp,” Crawford said about his fight with Spence. “I picture myself walking down that aisle to put on a great show because I know me.
“I’ve been waiting for this moment all my life to show everybody that doubts me who Terence Crawford is. It’s right there,” said Crawford.
“Jim Gray asked Errol yesterday, ‘Is there any stumbling blocks you anticipate?’ Errol said, ‘No,’ and he seemed to think both of them wanted the fight,” said Carson Merk. “What about from your perspective? Any stumbling blocks?”
“There have never been any stumbling blocks,” said Crawford about a fight between him and Spence. “There was never a ‘side of the street’ until it came to Terence Crawford. Terence Crawford divided a side of the street.
“All these stipulations and wrong side of the street from promotional companies and all these types of things, they made them up for Terence Crawford. In my eyes, there was never anything that would stop a great fight from happening because Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder fought,” said Crawford.
In 2017, Crawford became the undisputed champion at 140 by destroying IBF/WBA champion Julius Indongo by a third-round knockout. Since then, Crawford has been slowly moving on a path to capture all four belts in the 147-lb division.
Unfortunately for Crawford, promotional issues got in the way of him getting the opportunity to capture all four titles at 147.
However, Crawford is no longer being slowed by the promotional issues that have stood in his way for the last four years, and he’s ready to beat IBF/WBA/WBC welterweight champion Spence for the undisputed championship this year.
