Terence Crawford wants to boost his boxing legacy and bank account. The four-weight world champion from Omaha has his eyes on Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez. But this fight would mean Crawford has to pack on 14 pounds and jump up two weight classes.
Some folks in the boxing world think Crawford's move up in weight might be biting off more than he can chew. One of those people is Bernard Hopkins, a former two-weight world champion.
Hopkins shared his thoughts in a chat with FightHype.com. He thinks Crawford should take on Jaron 'Boots' Ennis instead of Canelo.
"I would love to see [Crawford] fight Boots from Philadelphia. I'm from Philly. Boots deserves that, he earned that. Boots is undefeated, whooping everybody's ass. That's the fight. Get past Boots … Canelo's bigger and stronger. It ain't gonna be easy like you think it is. I don't like that fight. I like the fight with Benavidez [Canelo]. That's the fight that makes sense and people would jump on that fight."
Ennis, known as 'Boots', has won all 32 of his fights so far. He's a switch-hitter like Crawford and currently holds the IBF Welterweight title. Ennis picked up this belt after Crawford moved up in weight. He's keen to fight Crawford and says he'll even move up to 154 pounds if needed.
Right now, Ennis is getting ready for a rematch with Karen Chukhadzhian. He beat Chukhadzhian earlier this year to win the Interim belt.
Crawford, on the other hand, isn't too hot on the idea of fighting Ennis. He thinks it won't do much for his legacy and isn't a smart move business-wise.
Hopkins also had advice for Canelo. He thinks the Mexican star should fight David Benavidez next. According to Hopkins, that's a fight that makes sense and would get people excited.
