Terence Crawford says he belongs among the top four of all time on the Mount Rushmore of boxing after beating Canelo Alvarez on September 13.
The Exclusive Club Rejects Him
Crawford believes his wins over Canelo and Errol Spence justify his spot among the top four of all time. The Mount Rushmore metaphor isn’t essential. What he’s saying is that he belongs in the top four of all time due to his three undisputed championships and victories over Spence and Canelo.
The all-time fighters
- Muhammad Ali
- Sugar Ray Robinson
- Henry Armstrong
- Joe Louis
- Sugar Ray Leonard
Crawford’s resume doesn’t stack up to any of these fighters, and given his refusal to fight David Benavidez, among others, it never will.
The Validation Campaign Backfires
Crawford’s self-promotion, pushing himself in the top four of all time, is embarrassing and makes him appear insecure about his legacy. It’s supposed to be up to the fans and media to decide who belongs among the top 4 greatest of all time.
For Crawford to be openly campaigning reveals that he feels he needs to be validated. It’s an eye-opener to see how desperate and needy he is. It’s great that he beat those two fighters, but that doesn’t make him among the top four of all time or even among the top 10.
Ali’s Legacy vs. Crawford’s
Who would you have Crawford replace? Sugar Ray Leonard or Muhammad Ali? Those fighters had much better wins, and so did Sugar Ray Robinson, Joe Louis, Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather, and even Thomas Hearns. Crawford doesn’t belong in this exclusive club. He lacks the credentials.
Fans aren’t giving him credit for his wins over Canelo and Spence because they perceived them as both fading when he fought them. If you look at their previous fights immediately before they fought Crawford, it would confirm they were washed up.
“I’m one of them. Like I said, after I beat Canelo, you have to put me on Mount Rushmore. I’m not going to say I’m 1 or 2. I’m just going to say I’m up there,” said Terence Crawford to 4th&1 with Cam Newton, arguing that he belongs in the top four of all time in boxing following his win over Canelo Alvarez on September 13.
Faded Canelo, Broken Spence
The problem is that the fighters Crawford beat to win his three undisputed championships weren’t notable fighters. The ones that were, Canelo and Spence, were broken down from long careers, or in Errol’s case, a tragic car crash in 2019 that left him null & void.
“How everyone else rates me is how they’re going to rate me, but I’m humble enough to say I’m definitely up there on that mountain,” said Crawford.
