Terence Crawford’s stoppage victory over Errol Spence Jr not only crowned him undisputed welterweight champion, but put him firmly in the conversation of the greatest of a generation.
‘Bud’ handily dealt with Spence over nine rounds in a contest that was previously thought to be a pick ’em. His performance was near-flawless, and worthy of the praise he has received in the aftermath.
Now two-time undisputed and getting the plaudits he deserves, the 35-year-old is looking at what’s next. Whilst it’s most likely the rematch, fans and pundits are putting other names into the mix.
One man is Jermell Charlo, who currently holds all the belts one division up, but is tied into facing undisputed super-middleweight champion, Saul ‘Canelo’ Álvarez.
Canelo is alongside Crawford in the conversation for the best of the modern era. Speaking to IFL TV, Shakur Stevenson backed his training partner to have the beating of him.
“Terence Crawford is running things right now. As for who he should face next, I would love to see him go up against Charlo. Although Charlo is already lined up against Canelo, I genuinely believe Crawford could beat Canelo.”
“Being a southpaw with good movement and solid boxing, it would be tough for Canelo to walk Crawford down and load up on his powerful hooks.”
Despite the vote of confidence, Crawford has previously said that he will not move up to 168lbs to meet Canelo, his ceiling being the super-welterweight limit of 154.
That’s where Jermell Charlo currently sits, although it remains to be seen whether or not he’ll return to the weight class after his bout with the Mexican great this September.