Former undisputed welterweight champion Terence Crawford is now reportedly free from his obligation to Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) and is now supposedly a free agent again following the expiration of the rematch clause that Errol Spence Jr. activated last year. Crawford’s new freedom, however, leaves him on the crossroads as he is torn between seeking the biggest fights possible, or retiring if there is no suitable opponent that can be found.
The details surrounding Terence Crawford’s (40-0, 31 KO’s) one-fight deal with PBC had never been publicly divulged, but presumably there was a rematch clause in place for his July 29th match against Errol Spence Jr (28-1, 22 KO’s). Three months after his victory over Spence in which he became undisputed, Crawford would be stripped of his IBF title as Spence activated the rematch clause―however, the rematch would never transpire.
Various reasons have been cited thus far for the rematch not occurring, but the common denominator appears to be the lack of interest in the fight following the one-sided outcome that occurred between Crawford and Spence in the first match. Further complicating matters was a cataracts surgery that Errol Spence underwent recently, thus derailing the potential rematch and pushing it back even further after uncertainty already clouded the fight from occurring.
Crawford, 36, now seems to have the pick of promotional outfits he can sign to either temporarily or permanently, but options currently appear slim with the unified welterweight’s goal to fight Canelo Alvarez (60-2-2, 39 KO’s) having been torn apart following Alvarez’ own admission that he was not interested in fighting Crawford due to the discrepancy in weight between them.
However, with both fighters allegedly free from PBC―following recent reports of a split between Alvarez and PBC, there may be a recourse for the two to meet in the ring depending on who they land with, and what the incentives could be for the promotional outfit interested in staging a fight between the two.
There is the prospect of Terence Crawford facing IBF welterweight champion Jaron Ennis (31-0, 28 KO’s), but with neither fighter being currently aligned to any promotion, it is highly unlikely this fight will transpire any time soon if neither fighter can find representation in the next half year or so. With Ennis currently battling his current promoter in court, the chance of the two facing each other in the ring has only further deteriorated.
One opponent that would be feasible for Terence Crawford to face would be WBO super welterweight champion Tim Tszyu (24-0, 17 KO’s) who is set to fight next month on March 30th, Recent reports point towards a meeting between Crawford and WBO president Paco Valcarcel, and given Crawford’s WBO ‘super champion’ status, he does retain the right to move up and immediately challenge the incumbent WBO champion in Tszyu.
While Tszyu will need to make it past Keith Thurman (30-1, 22 KO’s) if the fight between him and Crawford were to be made, Tszyu is expected to win dominantly which will further help build up a potential fight between the two unbeaten fighters. The fact that the two fighters’ teams had already been in discussions prior to Thurman being picked as an opponent for Tszyu increases the probability of the two entering the ring.
However, aside from Tszyu and Ennis, Crawford’s picks of opponents do remain slim as he has already shot down any chance of facing current WBA super welterweight champion Jermell Charlo (35-2-1, 19 KO’s), and there are few opponents in or above welterweight that could help Crawford engage in a fight of significance.
In the case of a viable opponent not emerging, Terence Crawford could also retire after he declared last year that he wouldn’t be boxing for long. However, it is more probable that Crawford will aim to net at least one significant fight before tying a knot to what has been a successful career worthy of a future Hall of Famer.
