Terence Crawford names the world champion he tried to fight before Canelo

Terence Crawford hung up the gloves after a career-best triumph over Canelo Alvarez, but there is one man that ‘Bud’ has now revealed that he was targeting before the opportunity to face the Mexican superstar arose.

Crawford became the undisputed welterweight world champion when he knocked out Errol Spence Jr in July 2023, six years after he completed that same feat down at super-lightweight.

The Omaha-born operator then opted to move up to the super-welterweight division and dethroned Israil Madrimov upon his 154lb debut to claim the WBA title.

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However, rather than remaining at super-welterweight and seeking fights with his fellow champions, Crawford instead became the second three-division undisputed champion in boxing history by moving up two further weight classes and trumping Canelo.

On X, Crawford was asked whether he would consider coming back and taking on reigning WBC super-welterweight champion, Sebastian Fundora. In response, he revealed that he had planned on facing Fundora back when he was the unified 154lb champion, but that he was told he was not a ‘big enough star’.

“I was trying to fight him but they said I wasn’t a big enough star.”

The fight was ordered by the WBO as a mandatory/unification bout at 154lbs since Crawford had also won the interim belt when he beat Madrimov, but it ultimately fell through.

At present, despite campaigning at super-welterweight, six weight divisions below heavyweight (including bridgerweight), 6’5” Fundora is the tallest world champion in boxing and is therefore one of the most unorthodox active fighters in the sport.

Crawford has previously stated his belief that Fundora is the top dog in the super-welterweight division and that rival Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis would come up short if tasked with the appropriately nicknamed, ‘Towering Inferno’.

“Lawsuit Waiting to Happen”: Terence Crawford’s Altercation With Fan Sparks Warning From Boxing World

Terence Crawford may have made the biggest mistake of his life.

The undefeated former three-division undisputed champion was in New York for an unconfirmed Ring Magazine event. That’s when he appears to have gotten into a physical altercation with a fan.

According to ‘ITSDAFANTA’ on X, the altercation was the result of a fan taking a picture of Terence Crawford without his permission. The account also shared a video of the incident, which appears to show Crawford manhandling the unidentified individual, wearing a black hoodie.

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“Terence Crawford got into a HEATED altercation with a fan after he took a photo WITHOUT his consent 😳,” the account wrote on X.

Meanwhile, in the video, Crawford can be seen forcing the individual down by grabbing his black hoodie and pulling it to bend him over. Another person, presumably accompanying Crawford, appears to reach into the individual’s pocket to find something.

“Every time I see you, you’re playing with me. Don’t play with me no more,” Crawford can be heard saying. “You are in New York.”

“What’s in your pocket?” the other guy repeated.

From the conversation, it appears Terence Crawford is well aware of the individual. However, where and when exactly the incident occurred remains unclear. Crawford can be seen wearing a Ring Magazine credential tag around his neck, suggesting the incident may have taken place at one of their events.

However, there is no recorded information available about a Ring Magazine event in April. We were unable to verify the claims that the individual was attempting to take a picture and that it led to the altercation.

In New York, it is generally not illegal to take photographs or videos of people in public spaces—such as streets, parks, or sidewalks—since there is no reasonable expectation of privacy. Permission is not required for such photos, although restrictions apply in private areas (like bathrooms) or for commercial use without consent.

Despite the lack of a complete picture of the incident, fans quickly flocked to the clip, with many warning Crawford about a potential lawsuit.

Fans turn on Terence Crawford over physical altercation

Having defeated Canelo Alvarez in September last year, Crawford’s popularity grew significantly, along with the respect he commanded. However, since the clip surfaced, he has attracted considerable backlash online. One user branded Crawford a “Chump.” The user posting: “What a chump, he’s no champ, that’s why he gets no love wherever he goes… it’s a shame you won any belts with this kind of behavior.” Crawford also appears to have been involved in another altercation in March, though that incident did not turn physical.

Another fan reminded Terence Crawford of the rights people have in public spaces in the United States. “You don’t need consent if you [are] in public. There [are] no laws protecting you. Technically, he could get sued for that,” the user wrote. Although Terence Crawford has been sued by a New York jeweler for $1.5 million in late 2025, he has yet to face a lawsuit from a fan.

Someone else felt Crawford’s actions suggested he thinks of himself as a higher power. “This n***a be thinking he Thanos bro this ain’t a boxing ring mfs will do you in real life lol taking a picture in public does not warrant for you to put your hands on that man period, now a potential lawsuit smh,” the user warned. It’s currently unclear whether the individual will seek legal action against Crawford.

The next user had the same idea. “Lawsuit waiting to happen,” the user commented. Terence Crawford hasn’t commented on the incident at the time of writing. But many others felt a lawsuit was in order. “That dude should sue @terencecrawford,” another user wrote.

Meanwhile, this user felt Terence Crawford couldn’t handle being famous. “All this kerfuffle over a photo!? Terence isn’t cut out for this fame stuff. Fans are the bread and butter of fame. How can you have fame without fans?? 🤨” the user asked. More details regarding the incident are expected to come out, so forming an opinion this quickly can be a mistake.

In any case, Terence Crawford appears to have disgraced himself due to the physical altercation with the fan.

Terence Crawford admits he considered one more ‘dangerous’ fight before retiring

Terence Crawford has revealed that he was close to fighting on after his victory over Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez.

‘Bud’ Crawford beat Canelo in September 2025, winning the undisputed super-middleweight title to cement his legacy. It marked a title in a fifth weight class and a third undisputed reign for the switch hitter from Omaha, Nebraska.

Crawford has been open about the reasons behind hanging up the gloves just months on from that win, citing tough training camps and the feeling that he had done it all in the sport of boxing.

However, the 38-year-old recently told Jai McAllister that there was one fight he was considering before a failed doping test changed everything.

“Now we beat Canelo. Now what? At first, I was like well, go down to 160 and do it again. [Six weight champion] and four division undisputed. But Janibek popped. Whoever would have won that fight [against Erislandy Lara] they would’ve had three of the titles. So it was just like, I’m not… It just was a thought. You can do it again, go down to 160, dare to be great and fight for something that’s meaningful.

“Even though their names wasn’t the biggest, Janibek is a dangerous challenge. That’s what we do it for. I knew, going over there, fighting Janibek, people would’ve been tuning in to that type of fight. Especially if had somehow beat Carlos Adames, and [became] undisputed. Then you undisputed vs undisputed. It didn’t happen. So, you know what, I was like this is God telling me you ain’t got nothing left to prove.”

IBF and WBO middleweight champion Alimkhanuly was scheduled to face Erislandy Lara, who holds the WBA belt, on December 6 in San Antonio last year.

Just days before the bout, the undefeated Kazakh tested positive for Meldonium – a performance-enhancing drug on the banned list due to its ability to boost an athlete’s endurance. Lara instead defended his belt against Johan Gonzalez and the belts remained split. Alimkhanuly bizarrely remains WBO middleweight champion despite serving a suspension with the sanctioning body. An interim belt has been introduced in his absence. He has been stripped of his IBF title.

With no quick route to all four titles at 160, Crawford’s mind was made up. On December 17, he announced his retirement from the sport.

Terence Crawford responds after his legacy was questioned by Ryan Garcia

Ryan Garcia believes that Terence Crawford has left his legacy on the table after retiring from the sport.

Last September, Terence Crawford and Canelo Alvarez competed in one of the biggest boxing fights of all time at the Allegiant Stadium.

‘Bud’ Crawford went on to score a huge upset, becoming the undisputed super middleweight champion, bringing Canelo’s long run to an end.

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Just a few months following their historic clash, Crawford announced his official retirement from the sport of boxing, retiring as one of the greatest boxers of all time.

Crawford calls Ryan Garcia crazy for his take on retirement

Despite his retirement from the sport, the 38-year-old continues to share his knowledge and he was recently involved in Shakur Stevenson‘s win over Teofimo Lopez.

And although he is widely regarded as one of the best boxers of his generation, fellow boxing star Ryan Garcia has claimed that Crawford ‘left his legacy on the table’ by not giving young fighters the chance to challenge him, questioning his retirement.

“I believe Terence left more of his legacy on the table. Just my opinion,” Garcia said in a post on X.

“Undisputed don’t mean anything if you know truly you didn’t challenge yourself. I’m speaking from knowing boxing and speaking from the heart as a fighter. Not just a random that can only see the surface level of the game,” he continued.

Garcia recently won his first world title when he scored the unanimous decision win over Mario Barrios to become the WBC welterweight champion.

Then this Monday afternoon, Crawford afforded his fans the chance to ask him questions on X, and one fan asked him his thoughts on Garcia’s comments.

“He’s crazy lol,” Crawford responded.

Some fans are still holding out hope that the 38-year-old may return to the sport despite retiring, however, he remains adamant that he will be staying retired.

Terence Crawford admits one man ranks above him as the greatest ever

Terence Crawford considers himself the greatest fighter of his generation, but admits the all-time number one spot belongs to another man.

The 38-year-old called time on his glittering career last December, several months after he became a three-division undisputed champion against Canelo Alvarez.

Prior to their September showdown, many questioned whether Crawford, who claimed his first world title at 135lbs, would have the frame to compete at super-middleweight.

As it happened, though, the masterful technician was able to outbox Canelo through large spells of their contest, before claiming a convincing unanimous decision victory.

Elsewhere in his career, Crawford unified all four major titles at 147lbs by producing a surprisingly dominant performance against Errol Spence Jr, stopping him with a ninth-round onslaught in 2023.

As a five-weight world champion, ‘Bud’ is now regarded as one of the most accomplished fighters of his era, while also going down as an all-time great.

But while Crawford agrees with how his legacy is perceived by others, he ultimately believes that Muhammad Ali was the greatest pound-for-pound fighter in history.

In an interview on the The Rich Eisen Show, which was recorded ahead of his retirement, the American insisted that the all-time No.1 spot still belongs to Ali.

“No [I’m not the greatest of all time]. I do think I’m the best right now but, the greatest of all time – that’s Muhammad Ali’s spot.”

Ali is a popular choice in the “greatest ever” debate, having fought and defeated many of the top heavyweights of his era, including Joe Frazier and Sonny Liston, as well as securing a famous upset victory over George Foreman in the bout billed as the “Rumble in the Jungle.”

Terence Crawford compares himself to the legendary Four Kings: “To be honest”

Terence Crawford has opened up on comparisons between himself and the iconic ‘Four Kings’ consisting of Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, Thomas Hearns and Roberto Duran.

Back in the 1980s, the aforementioned quartet were all involved in epic fights with one another, with boxing fans regularly debating who they deem to be the best of the four legends.

Just over 30 years later, Crawford became a legend in his own right, claiming world titles in multiple divisions before retiring from the sport back in December following his victory over Canelo Alvarez.

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Having now begun to settle into life after boxing, Crawford has been reflecting on his own career whilst speaking to The Ring, and was asked how he believes he shaped up compared to each of Leonard, Hagler, Hearns and Duran.

“To be honest, I had a little bit of all of them. I wouldn’t say I only had one of their styles because I do so much in the ring.

“Like Marvin Hagler, I’m a southpaw. Like Sugar Ray Leonard, I can box on my toes. Like Roberto Duran, I can roll with the punches, catch, shoot, and throw from underneath. With Tommy Hearns, I can fight from the outside with a good, sharp jab.

I’m all of that in one. … [I would fight] any of them – just pick one of them.”

Some boxing fans believe that Crawford will go down as one of the greatest of all time following his epic career, and Four Kings member Leonard once revealed who he gives that esteemed honour to.

Who Was Crawford’s Toughest Opponent?

Two-weight world champion Regis Prograis shed light on the only time Terence Crawford felt truly in danger during his career.

Crawford, who retired in December 2025 after his undisputed super middleweight title win over Canelo Alvarez, shared the revelation with Prograis. According to Prograis, Crawford pointed back to June 28, 2014—the night of his first WBO lightweight title defense against Yuriorkis Gamboa.

While Crawford stopped Gamboa in the ninth, he admitted to being “buzzing” early in that final round. Crawford explained to Prograis that the vulnerability was likely due to the struggle of making the 135-lb lightweight limit early in his career. Rather than folding, Crawford famously dropped Gamboa twice more in that same round to force the referee to wave off the contest.

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“Terence Crawford went up two divisions and he still took shots from Canelo. He said ‘the only time I’ve been hurt was by [Yuriorkis] Gamboa and that was when I was at 135, I was too small. I’ve been in the gym, sparring these big guys and the punches don’t do nothing.’ So, really the extra weight is a benefit,” Prograis said

Crawford Reacts

Crawford backed up those word, as he recalled Gamboa being the hardest opponent of his career. While Gamboa would never be the same fighter after the Crawford loss, Bud faced him when he was being touted as the next Floyd Mayweather Jr.

“I would say Gamboa [was my toughest opponent], because of the experience at the time. You have got to understand, I came from fighting six-round fights to a ten-round fight on HBO when I got the Breidis Prescott fight. So then I fight him, another guy for the Interim NABO, and then I fight for a title eliminator, [Andrey] Klimov.

“Then I fight Ricky Burns, and come back and fight Gamboa when I become champion. “Gamboa was labelled as the next Floyd Mayweather. He was on the pound-for-pound list. Everybody had Gamboa at a high rating. Olympic Gold Medal. He had the experience over me, and I learned a lot in that fight. That’s what made it hard because it was something I’d never experienced in a fighter before,” Gamboa stated