Terence Crawford stands at a crossroads in his boxing career. The multi-weight world champion has conquered two divisions as undisputed champion and recently added a world title at 154 lbs to his collection.
Crawford's latest victory came in August when he outpointed Israil Madrimov to claim his first belt at super welterweight. The win wasn't his most dominant, but it got the job done.
Now, Crawford waits patiently to announce his next move. He's keen on a fight with Mexican legend Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez, the current unified super-middleweight champion. The size difference might be a problem, though, and Crawford says he'll move on if it doesn't happen.
Other options include Jaron 'Boots' Ennis, the current IBF welterweight champion, or a drop back down to face Teofimo Lopez, who holds The Ring and WBO light welterweight titles.
Lopez has only one loss on his record – a surprise defeat to George Kambosos Jr. He's since bounced back, but hasn't scored a knockout since stopping Pedro Campa inside seven rounds in 2022.
That hasn't dented his confidence. In a recent interview, Lopez was asked if he could get the Crawford fight.
"Yeah I think so, right now I'm dealing with some litigation, after that we'll see."
The interviewer then asked how many rounds the fight would go. Lopez's response was bold:
"I'd say by 9. It's my favourite number and a guy like him, you gotta break him down, you gotta break him down, you can't just take him out."
It's a big statement from Lopez, who hasn't won by knockout in over a year. Crawford, on the other hand, has proven his worth across multiple weight classes.
The ball's in Crawford's court now. Will he take on the challenge from the younger, smaller Lopez? Or will he pursue bigger fish in Canelo? The boxing world waits with bated breath for his next move.