Terence Crawford reacted to Shakur Stevenson arriving to defend him, saying that “every top fighter” rates Bud as a No. 1, but writers view him as a No. 2 pound for pound. Instead of being humble, Crawford said, “They hated all the greats.”
Lack of elite victories
Crawford is not a great fighter because he hasn't beaten any of the elite at 154, 147, 140, or 135. There are fighters at 154 to 168 that Bud could fight for the top spot, but he won't fight them because the end result will be negative.
Not all top fighters rank Crawford first or second in the rankings because his resume is too weak to be placed in the top two in the rankings. For Crawford to become No. 1 in the pound-for-pound division, he will need a deeper resume with high-level wins than the ones he has.
The road to number 1
Bakram Murtazaliev
Your side is yamkhanoli
David Benavidez
David Morrell
Osley Iglesias
Diego Pacheco
If Crawford can beat these guys, no one will argue that he doesn't deserve to be No. 1 pound-for-pound. But he hasn't fought any of those guys, and doesn't intend to. Therefore, Crawford shouldn't be anywhere near No. 1 in the pound-for-pound rankings or No. 2. Given his weak CV, it should be less than about 10 to 15.
They hated all the greats. There is nothing new under the sun. https://t.co/TUVCpoGaXv
– Terence Crawford (@terencecrawford) December 19, 2024
The only notable win Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) has in his 16-year resume is a washed-out, rusty car accident for Errol Spence. Former unified welterweight champion Spence is coming off a 14-month break, lost 50 pounds in training camp and hasn't looked in good shape since being in a car accident four years ago.
Other than that win over an inactive and depleted Errol, there is no one, and he was never the same after crashing his Ferrari in a high-speed accident on October 10, 2019. The Ferrari was a pile of scrap from their car crash.
Quality of opposition
Errol Spence: After a car accident
– Sean Porter: The End of a Career
– Israel Madrimov: The shave is close
– Kell Brook: Take a shower
– Amir Khan: Same as above
-Ricky Burns: Late in his career
– Yuriorkis Gamboa: Two divisions above his weight class
– Jose Benavidez Jr.: Wounded after the shooting
