Bob Arum, the 92-year-old boxing promoter, has changed his mind about who'd win in a fight between Floyd Mayweather and Terence Crawford if they were both in their prime. He now thinks Crawford would come out on top.
Arum's been in the boxing game for nearly 70 years. He's promoted some of the biggest names in the sport, including Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, Roberto Duran, and Manny Pacquiao. He even promoted Mayweather early in his career and Crawford for a big chunk of his.
'Money' Mayweather had an incredible career. He won 50 fights and never lost. He grabbed 15 world titles across five weight classes. These days, he's only doing exhibition fights. Mayweather's undefeated record is a big part of his legacy.
Crawford, nicknamed 'Bud', has been making waves too. He's a two-time undisputed champion and really showed what he can do when he beat Errol Spence Jr in 2023. Right now, he's trying to set up a fight with Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez.
Arum used to think Mayweather would win if they fought in their prime. He said back then:
"It's hard to pick against Mayweather, really hard to pick against Mayweather, but again Crawford does have the talent to be very competitive against him, but we'll never know."
But now, Arum's changed his tune. In a recent interview, he said:
"Crawford [would beat Mayweather]. Crawford fighting, a guy his size, is unique because one thing that he has that other fighters don't have is that he's totally ambidextrous. So when he shifts from orthodox to southpaw he's equally effective either way."
What made Arum change his mind? He was really impressed by how Crawford performed against Errol Spence Jr last year. Crawford's ability to switch between orthodox and southpaw stances and be just as good in both really stood out to Arum.
We'll never know for sure who'd win between these two greats, but it's interesting to see how opinions can change based on a fighter's performances.
