Manny Pacquiao Says Crawford Was Lucky They Never Fought

Pacquiao revisits missed welterweight matchup as debate over timing resurfaces

Manny Pacquiao says Terence Crawford was “lucky” they never fought during their time at welterweight. The former champion revisited the missed matchup as debate over the timing continues.

“I think he’s lucky he didn’t fight me,” Pacquiao said to ESNEWS when asked about the long-discussed matchup with Crawford.

For years, both fighters were promoted by Top Rank, which led many to believe the fight would be easier to make than most major bouts. It never happened, and Bob Arum later suggested he was reluctant to match them at that stage. Arum said he did not want to see Manny Pacquiao take the kind of punishment he felt Terence Crawford could cause.

From a business view, Pacquiao was still one of the sport’s biggest attractions and a proven revenue driver. Matching him with a younger, switch-hitting technician such as Crawford carried obvious danger and less certainty on the commercial side than other available options.

The matchup became one of the better welterweight fights of that era that never happened. Crawford was chasing the biggest names at 147, while Manny Pacquiao still had options and major drawing power. By the time the fight looked more realistic, the timing had already started to slip.

At the time, Crawford was pushing toward the biggest name available at welterweight, and Pacquiao still carried major drawing power. That made the fight attractive competitively and commercially. Instead, Pacquiao took on other assignments while Crawford continued building his own position in the division.

The years then started to work against the matchup. Pacquiao was deeper into the later phase of his Hall of Fame career, while Crawford was entering his prime at 147. Once that timing changed, the fight lost some of the edge it would have carried earlier.

Crawford retired last year at 42-0 after titles in multiple divisions and major wins over Errol Spence Jr. and Shawn Porter. He later capped his career by defeating Canelo Alvarez at 168 pounds.

Pacquiao kept fighting into his late 40s and last year drew with Mario Barrios in a bid for the WBC welterweight title. He is also linked to another meeting with Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Pacquiao’s confidence is expected. Great fighters rarely doubt themselves. Many fans, though, still see this as a fight that could have happened when Crawford wanted it most.

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