Crawford, 37, from Omaha, Nebraska, has won world titles in four weight divisions and became undisputed champion at both super lightweight and welterweight. He's now getting ready to face Mexican star Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez in a bid to become a five-weight world champion by grabbing the WBC, WBA, and WBO super middleweight titles.
Ortiz Jr., the current WBC 'Interim' super welterweight champion, recently defended his title with a decision win over Israil Madrimov on February 22 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Despite his interest in facing Crawford, Ortiz Jr. doesn't see it happening.
"We want the fight, it's just inside info it's not gonna happen,"Ortiz Jr. said in an interview with iFL TV.
The 26-year-old Texan also commented on the possibility of facing the winner of the upcoming welterweight unification fight between Jaron Ennis and Eimantas Stanionis in April.
"At 147 I don't see how likely that fight's gonna be, for me that ship has kinda sailed, we already said yeah and they didn't want the fight so it's just kinda like well what can I do? I can't do anything."
With Crawford moving up to super middleweight for the Canelo fight, Ortiz Jr. might look elsewhere for his next big bout. A potential matchup with Sebastian Fundora, the WBC and WBO light middleweight champion, could be on the cards. There's also a slim chance Ortiz Jr. could face Crawford if the Omaha native returns to 154 lbs after his bout with Canelo.
For now, Ortiz Jr. will have to wait and see how the boxing landscape shifts in the coming months as he continues to climb the ranks and seek out high-profile fights.