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He’s less than a month away from a grueling victory, so maybe Terence Crawford should be afforded a deeper reflection before his immediate reaction becomes written in stone.

Yet, judging by the fighter’s response relayed by Saudi Arabia’s fight maker Turki Alalshikh, Crawford is only interested in a Saul “Canelo” Alvarez bout as his 37th birthday arrives next month, and the possible pursuit of becoming an undisputed 154-pound champion is not happening.

Nebraska’s four-division champion Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) escaped with a narrow unanimous-decision victory over Uzbekistan’s Israil Madrimov Aug. 3 in Los Angeles by virtue of winning the final two rounds, as his trainer, Brian McIntyre, breathed a sigh of relief to start the post-fight news conference.

JUST IN: The Canelo-Crawford Superfight Is Dead: Eddie Hearn Explains Why Alvarez Lost Interest

And now that four-division champion Alvarez (61-2-2, 39 KOs) has discouraged interest in fighting Crawford, Alalshikh proposed a bout against new WBC interim junior-middleweight champion Vergil Ortiz Jr., who just edged Serhii Bohachuk by majority decision Aug. 10.

Crawford, according to Alalshikh, responded that he only has interest in Alvarez.

“Crawford’s only looking for a big-money fight based on popularity, legacy,” former welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi said on Friday’s edition of ProBox TV’s “Top Stories.”

“He realized these top 154-pound guys are no joke. He had to dig deep to pull out the win over Madrimov, and the 154-pound division is full of guys like Madrimov. He’s thinking, ‘At this stage, I didn’t build my reputation to fight these young, hungry destroyers who are salivating in hunger.’

“… I understand why he wouldn’t want to fight these other guys.”

Crawford could still achieve a significant legacy play by fighting Canelo. Not only have the pair competed as pound-for-pound kings during the past decade, Alvarez wears three super-middleweight belts as he heads to a Sept. 14 bout as a prohibitive favorite against unbeaten WBA mandatory Edgar Berlanga.

If he could win – and Crawford would be a pronounced underdog – the Nebraskan could stand as a five-division champion.

Meanwhile, the 154-pound crop includes a slew of opponents that could pose problems, including Ortiz (22-0, 21 KOs), former champion Tim Tszyu (24-1, 17 KOs) and Bohachuk (24-2, 23 KOs).

Crawford continues to have the option to invoke a mandatory shot at current WBO/WBC 154-pound champion Sebastian Fundora (21-1-1, 13 KOs) by the end of the year.

A boxing official familiar with that situation frowned upon that fight ever happening, given the disdain that exists between Fundora side, Premier Boxing Champions, and the occasionally prickly Crawford.

All of the top 154-pound fighters are at least seven years younger than Crawford.

“You can’t blame (Crawford), although I’m not sure that (Alvarez) fight will happen, or if Turki Alalshikh is interested in it,” Malignaggi said. “It doesn’t interest me. I like competitive fights. It allows Crawford to pad his bank account. It doesn’t do anything for me.

“I enjoy hungry fighters fighting to be the best.”

Fellow “Top Stories” analyst and former 140-pound champion Chris Algieri said Crawford has the right to be “all about the money” at this point in his career.

“He’s already the most accomplished fighter of the four-belt era,” Algieri said. “He’s been undisputed (at 140 pounds and welterweight) and was a 100 per cent knockout guy, but he goes to 154 and realizes that to try and collect these belts is not easy.”

So why not restrict the focus purely to the cash cow of the sport?

“Crawford is the best-known fighter at 154, anyway,” Malignaggi said. “Canelo might not be as hungry, either.”

BOXING

The Canelo-Crawford Superfight Is Dead: Eddie Hearn Explains Why Alvarez Lost Interest

Sadly for boxing fans, His Excellency Turki Alalshikh couldn’t be the genie they were looking for.

In an interview, the head of Matchroom Boxing and a close partner to the Saudi Royal, Eddie Hearn, put the final nail on a potential fight between Canelo Alvarez and former undisputed welterweight champion Terence Crawford.

You see, the entire thing began during the Crawford vs. Israil Madrimov bout earlier this month. His Excellency went live on air to reveal he had reached out to Canelo’s team with an offer. However, in a later post, he claimed he was no longer interested in hosting such a bout. This received a response from Canelo, who claimed he really didn’t care about that fight to begin with, starting a back-and-forth with Alalshikh on social media. Still, people were hoping for a reconciliation. But after Hearn’s statement, it seems even a reconciliation won’t be of any help.

JUST IN: ‘IMAGINE WHAT HE DOES’ – FURY WILL GET BULLIED BY USYK

While appearing in an interview with Seconds Out, Hearn was asked to share his thoughts about a potential Canelo-Crawford fight after the public feud between His Excellency and Canelo Alvarez. Hearn, who has promoted some of Canelo’s fights in the past and will be part of his upcoming bout against Edgar Berlanga in the role of Berlanga’s promoter, seemed confident in his response: “No.”

He explained, “I don’t think Saul is really that interested in that fight, if I’m honest. He’s kind of made that clear. He told me that a while ago.” He then repeated what Canelo Alvarez has been saying about facing Crawford, claiming he doesn’t see any benefit in fighting someone who climbed from the 147-pound division.

Hearn even highlighted that Canelo would like to face opponents who come forward to fight, rather than Crawford who would, “box a crafty fight in that fight.” He continued, “Saul knows that and he [doesn’t] think he’d get credit for beating a 147-pounder or 154-pounder now.” Also, reflecting on the feud between Canelo and Turki Alalshikh, Hearn said, “I think you just got two very powerful people in the world of boxing that sort of wanted their own way.”

As Hearn says, the potential fight might just be in the grave, but this didn’t stop Crawford from expressing his thoughts about Canelo refusing the Saudi Royal’s deal.

Terence Crawford is calling out Canelo Alvarez for his excuses about a possible fight between them. After his win over Israil Madrimov, Crawford didn’t hold back on Canelo’s size and money issues. “It’s crazy, and it makes me laugh,” Crawford said on The Porter Way Podcast. “Canelo’s been fighting smaller guys his whole career… And I’m a threat to him and I’m a threat to his legacy.”

Crawford also accused Canelo of being hypocritical, pointing out that the Mexican champ has fought smaller opponents before but is now demanding a huge payday for a fight with him. “If I was easy work, then you would take all that money he’s offering you,” Crawford added. Plus, Crawford wasn’t happy with Eddie Hearn’s claim that Canelo’s name was used to hype up the Crawford vs. Madrimov fight. “We didn’t have to use Canelo’s name to promote s***,” Crawford stated bluntly.

Sadly for boxing fans, who were hoping to see Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford in the ring together, it appears even His Excellency couldn’t convince the Mexican superstar to take the fight. But who knows?

BOXING

‘IMAGINE WHAT HE DOES’ – FURY WILL GET BULLIED BY USYK

Tyson Fury will get bullied and lose to Oleksandr Usyk in their rematch on December 21.

That is according to Tony Bellew. Usyk won the first bout to become the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion in a split decision win. While it was a split decision, the consensus was that it should have been unanimous. Usyk almost knocked out Fury in round nine, only for the referee to impose a standing eight count. Fury was outfought, aside from the middle rounds, in impressive fashion.

Usyk was fighting on the front foot, attacking the body, and pushing Fury back. This was despite being 40 pounds lighter and having a seven-inch reach disadvantage. That was a departure from the tactics expected. There was a perception that Fury would try to impose his size on Usyk, who would look to fight off the back foot.

READ: BOXING RUMOUR: GGG REPORTEDLY OFFERED THE CRAWFORD FIGHT

When Bellew fought Usyk, he sought to counter him and stay with him until the full distance. However, he did not have the stamina to do so. Bellew felt Fury would now play into Usyk’s hands by changing tactics as the Ukrainian is better on the back foot.

“If I’m being totally honest, do I think he’ll win? No. I think he’ll lose again. And this time, I think he’ll lose really, really clearly. Because Usyk this time will go on the back foot. And that is the worst nightmare for Tyson Fury because that’s one that he can’t control. You’ve got to understand, he pressed the whole fight. He walked the 6ft 9ins, 20 stone man down. He walked him down and bullied him,” Bellew said

Fury entered the fight in the best condition of his career. He had been training for the fight since his win over Francis Ngannou. That was a timeline from November to May to get ready for that bout. There were no excuses heading into the fight, with suggestions Fury did not train properly for Ngannou as he may have overlooked him.

Fury also was the favorite coming into the fight, full of confidence. He claimed he would bully a ‘middleweight’ and called him a rabbit. He also said he would retire if he lost to Usyk. Another loss to Usyk may well do that. His brother, Shane Fury, wants him to retire after the Usyk bout, regardless of the result. Given how much punishment Fury took in the first fight and the stamina required to stay with Usyk, they could not see how the Gypsy King would do that.

“Imagine what he does when he fights to his attributes and fights to his best. Because his best is fighting on the back foot. Anyone who studies him and knows Usyk the way I know him, and I studied him, you’ll know that you’ve got to bring him to you.

“And that’s the way to beat him. But you’ve got to counter him and feint and you’ve got to be able to sharpshoot with him. You’ve got to be able to box with him. You’ve got to be able to offset him. But you’ve got to be able to continuously do all these things round after round. I couldn’t,” Bellew stated

BOXING

BOXING RUMOUR: GGG REPORTEDLY OFFERED THE CRAWFORD FIGHT

Gennady Golovkin has reportedly been offered a fight against Terence Crawford for next year in Saudi Arabia.

GGG has not boxed since losing to Canelo Alvarez in 2022. That capped off their trilogy as Golovkin was arguably deprived of a historic win in their first bout, which was declared a draw. Since then, Golovkin has been weighing up his future. The Khazak admitted that he has not officially retired and will return if the right fight presents itself. This has created the narrative that Golovkin would return for a mega purse now that he is 42, as a world title is unlikely. A fight in Saudi Arabia would do that.

🍿 Fight rumour of the day!

😳 Some reports that Gennadiy Golovkin has been offered a fight against Terence Crawford in Saudi Arabia

👀 Thoughts on this random match-up?#SaturdayStories pic.twitter.com/EfrEJI1iZA

— BOXRAW (@BOXRAW) August 17, 2024

READ: Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford given lifeline as Turki Alalshikh reveals message from Mexican superstar

“I’m not retired. I never announced my retirement, and it’s not my nature to announce things like that. I think to me, life is moments, and if an opportunity arises or something comes up, yes, we might see Gennady Golovkin in the ring again,” Golovkin said

Crawford had been chasing a fight with Canelo. That would require him to move up two weight classes to chase Canelo’s WBA, WBC and WBO belts. Alvarez has shown a reluctance to take the fight. He reacted negatively to the Saudis contacting him about that fight, saying he was not overlooking Edgar Berlanga ahead of their bout on September 14. Reports also suggested that Crawford could retire if he does not get the Canelo fight.

“I don’t think Crawford will fight anyone except Canelo. We [will] give him an offer for [Vergil] Ortiz, [but] I don’t know if he’ll take it or not. We have an agreement to do [a] big fight for Ortiz if Crawford doesn’t take the fight. I don’t think Crawford will fight anyone except Canelo,” Turki Alalshikh said

GGG would be an alternative. He is a big name, even at the latter end of his career. It also allows Crawford to challenge himself against a 160/168-pounder. If he comes through that, it would tell fans much about whether he could deal with Canelo. But that is a very risky fight. Fighters have shown previously that weight classes are important.

Kell Brook jumped up two weight classes from 147 to face GGG. It was not the best move for his career, as Brook was stopped. He broke his orbital bone as the former IBF Welterweight Champion was no longer the same fighter. There is a risk that Crawford could bite off more than he could chew and ruin his legacy. He is undefeated as a two-weight undisputed champion.

He has also won titles in four weight classes, making him a future ‘Hall of Famer.’ However, since Crawford is 36, he is in the latter stages of his career. There will not be many opportunities to secure big paydays with the Saudis’ help. Taking on bigger and riskier fights will help him do that. If a Canelo fight cannot be made, then a GGG bout may be the next best thing.

BOXING

“You Shouldn’t Even Be in the Ring”: Claressa Shields Blasts Imane Khelif’s “Soft” Opponent

The 2024 Paris Olympics was a wild ride for boxing.

Algerian female boxer Imane Khelif clinched gold in the women’s 66 kg division despite becoming a target of hate and widespread misinformation campaign online. And now, two-time Olympic gold medalist Claressa Shields has suggested that one of Imane’s opponents, Angela Carini, in the Paris Games, was “soft” for complaining after their fight. Let’s start things from the top.

After being disqualified from the World Championships last year for failing an unspecified gender identity test, the IOC permitted the 25-year-old boxer to compete in this year’s games because she was born a biological female. However, the hate began after she defeated Angela Carini of Italy in the round of 16, where Carini quit 46 seconds into the fight, claiming that Khelif’s punches impacted her more than ever before.

READ: Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford given lifeline as Turki Alalshikh reveals message from Mexican superstar

Soon popular internet personalities began hitting out at the IOC over Khelif’s participation in the women’s category, claiming that the IOC was allowing a biological man to fight a female boxer. This included celebrities like Harry Potter author J. K. Rowling, Elon Musk, and even former President Donald Trump. Interestingly, even Claressa Shields had initially joined the chorus against Khelif, writing, “Women should fight against women, men fight against men and transgenders fight against transgenders,” adding Khelif fighting women was “ridiculous” and that she was “heartbroken” for the women competing in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

However, after realizing she had been the victim of misinformation on social media, Claressa Shields appeared in an interview with TMZ Sports to state, “I wish I would’ve [done] my research before, because now I couldn’t imagine being at the Olympics, winning these fights.” She added, “I just feel really bad about that, and I want to clear it up on my end that I have found out that these two women were born women, and I don’t know what this testosterone stuff is about.”

Following her win, Khelif filed a lawsuit in France against J. K. Rowling, Elon Musk, Donald Trump, and everyone else who attacked her on social media while she was competing in the games. Meanwhile, Shields appeared in The Breakfast Club Podcast, where she seems to have turned her criticism stick on Angela Carini of Italy.

Reflecting on the entire fiasco, Shields suggested that everyone was trapped in the vicious cycle of misinformation, and claimed, “she’s right to sue whoever” started the misinformation about her. Shields said, “Yeah girl, get that money,” reacting to Khelif suing Musk and Rowling for their posts about her gender. She also congratulated the Algerian for winning gold.

However, when she turned to Carini, Shields didn’t have very nice things to say about the Italian boxer, stating, “But to the girl who [was] like, ‘Oh she hit me harder than I’ve ever been hit before’. Soft. Soft.”

Shields didn’t stop there, as she asked Carini to retire from the sport altogether, stating, “Hang it up, you shouldn’t even be in the ring. I spar against men. I ain’t never been hit that hard, where I’m like ‘Let me get the hell up out of here’. Ever. And I’ve been hit to where I couldn’t chew for three days with, like, a hook.” Regardless, even Carini had apologized to Khelif after the hate campaign began and revealed that she felt sad for her opponent.

According to a report, Angela Carini issued a heartfelt apology to Imane Khelif after their Olympic boxing match. Carini, who was pretty bummed about the short fight, said, “All this drama definitely got me down, and I also felt bad for my opponent. She didn’t do anything wrong and, like me, was just here to fight.”

She explained that not shaking Khelif’s hand was just a result of her frustration and not a comment on Khelif herself. “It wasn’t intentional at all, and I’m really sorry to her and everyone else,” Carini added. “If I run into her again, I’d definitely give her a hug.” Carini’s apology highlights the personal toll of the controversy surrounding Imane Khelif, who’s been facing unwanted attention over her gender and biological status.

Having said that, Claressa Shields seems to have also become a victim of misinformation, just like most others. While she has corrected her mistake and withdrawn her statements about Khelif, her recent statements show the change of tide that has occurred in the minds of many about the entire fiasco.

GOLF

Jon Rahm finally cracks as LIV Golf rebel ‘willing to give Saudi cash back’ in U-turn

Jon Rahm has not enjoyed the same level of success since joining LIV Golf last year and is allegedly open to returning to the PGA Tour – even if it means giving up his millions

Jon Rahm is ready to do whatever it takes to make a comeback to the PGA Tour, it’s been claimed.

Rahm could even hand back some of his LIV Golf cash to play alongside the likes of Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler again. A “veteran tour insider” claims that Rahm is having second thoughts about his switch to the Saudi-backed league.

READ: Scottie Scheffler lashes out after embarrassing shot during first PGA Tour event since Olympics victory

“I am 100 percent positive that if Jon could give the money back to the Saudis and come back to the tour, he couldn’t write the check fast enough,” the anonymous source told Golf Digest.

Not too long ago, Rahm was dazzling as one of the bright new stars on the PGA Tour. He racked up more than $70million (£54m) in career earnings across the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, and he enjoyed a prestigious stint as World No.1 for over 50 weeks. His 11 PGA victories include triumphs at the Masters and US Open.

However, since his 2023 leap to LIV Golf, Rahm’s performances and fan engagement have not mirrored his previous heights. “Now there are only four times a year when he’s playing that anybody is remotely interested,” the insider added. “He thought his stature in the game was secure no matter where he was playing, and it was a bad miscalculation.”

Barring last month’s Open – where Rahm tied for seventh at 3-under – the 29-year-old has had a tough time in this year’s majors. He just made the cut at the Masters, ending up T45, didn’t make it through the PGA Championship and had to pull out of the US Open due to a foot infection.

Before the Open, former European Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley suggested that Rahm’s lacklustre performances might be down to his rumoured dissatisfaction with LIV Golf, which was rumoured to sign him for upwards of $500m ($386.3m).

“He’s not on the cutting edge the way he was,” McGinley said. “His performances in majors are showing that. I don’t think he’s in a happy place; he doesn’t look content on the golf course.”

Rahm’s start to 2024 wasn’t stellar, failing to clinch a win in any of the first 10 LIV events, though he did tie for third in Adelaide and Nashville. Yet last month he triumphed in the LIV UK, bagging a tournament win for the eighth year running.

In recent months, Rahm hasn’t held back on suggesting improvements for LIV Golf. This April, he criticised the event format, pushing for a change from the 54-hole tournaments with a shotgun start to a full 72. “The closer we can get LIV to do some of these things, the better,” Rahm commented.

TENNIS

Iga Swiatek hits yet more milestones as she cruises into Cincinnati quarter-finals

It was business as usual for Iga Swiatek on Friday afternoon, with the pole dispatching Marta Kostyuk in straight sets to keep her Cincinnati Open campaign alive.

Swiatek faced a little bit of unnecessary drama versus French qualifier Varvara Gracheva in her opening match on Wednesday, spurning a 5-2 lead in the second set and five match points before eventually prevailing in three sets.

But, against the 15th seed, the world No 1 had a much smoother time of things.

JUST IN: Carlos Alcaraz ‘couldn’t control himself’ as he makes uncanny confession after racket-smashing drama

Kostyuk broke in the very opening game but was unable to match Swiatek’s consistency after that point, and the five-time Grand Slam winner picked up a comfortable 6-2, 6-2 victory to become the first woman to seal a place in the last eight.

Swiatek hit some notable milestones with her emphatic victory – as now seems commonplace any time the 23-year-old wins a match.

This is now her sixth WTA 1000 quarter-final of the season, only failing to reach the last eight in Miami, when she lost in round four, and at last week’s Canadian Open – where she did not play.

In the past decade, only one player has reached more WTA 1000 quarter-finals in an individual season – herself in 2023, where she reached seven WTA 1000 quarter-finals.

With WTA 1000 events in Beijing and Wuhan coming later in the season, Swiatek is well-placed to eclipse her own personal best.

It is also a 14th straight match win for her at WTA 1000-level, having won Madrid and Rome back-to-back earlier in the year.

That is the second-longest streak by any player since she made her first WTA 1000 appearance in 2019 and, once again, it is her own record she is now potentially in line to break.

She won 23 straight matches at this level in her dominant 2022 season, spanning from Doha to the Canadian Open.

Swiatek has now also reached 13 WTA 1000 quarter-finals across the past two seasons, with Agnieszka Radwanska’s record of 14 across 2012-2013 now under threat.

The world No 1 will face an intriguing quarter-final next, either against fifth seed Jasmine Paolini or teen sensation Mirra Andreeva.

However, with the likes of defending champion Coco Gauff and Elena Rybakina already out of the tournament, she will likely fancy her chances of claiming a first Cincinnati title.

TENNIS

Carlos Alcaraz ‘couldn’t control himself’ as he makes uncanny confession after racket-smashing drama

Carlos Alcaraz has given his verdict on the “worst match of his career” as he admitted that he “could not control himself” when he smashed his racket during the shock defeat to Gael Monfils at the Cincinnati Open.

Fresh from winning silver at the Paris Olympics, Alcaraz was the hot favourite against veteran Monfils and appeared to be on course for the win after taking the opening set on Thursday. With the score 6-4, 6-6 (1-3), play was called off due to rain and they resumed on Friday afternoon.

Alcaraz admitted during the post-match press conference that the rot had started to set in on Thursday.

READ: Iga Swiatek closes in on Serena Williams record after opening Cincinnati win

“I just [tried] not to think about the match [Thursday] night. I just want to recover as best as I can, to have a good rest and be ready for today’s match,” the Spaniard said.

“Yesterday, I didn’t play well as well. I think yesterday the longest rally was five balls. So I couldn’t get feelings yesterday. So I just thought that, ‘Well, have some rest, and tomorrow it’s gonna be another day. I’m probably going to feel better.’ But it didn’t happen.”

When the match resumed, the four-time Grand Slam winner was all over the show and Monfils took the tie-breaker to send the match to a deciding set.

With the score 1-2 in the third set, Alcaraz lost his cool and obliterated his racket, but it didn’t do him any good as the Frenchman ended up winning 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4.

The world No 3 admitted that he lost control.

“I felt sometimes that I wanted to break the racket. It never happened before, because I could control myself in those situations, in those feelings,” he said. “Most of the time I could control myself and it could go better in the matches or in the situation that I’ve been feeling before.

“Today, I couldn’t control myself, because, as I said, I was feeling that I was not playing any kind of tennis. I think some players, a lot of players, during their careers and during certain moments, they can’t control themselves. And it was one of the moments for me.”

Alcaraz is now 38-8 for the season with his defeat to Monfils his second on the trot as he also lost the Paris Olympics gold medal match against Djokovic.

But unlike the Roland Garros match against Djokovic where he played well, the 20-year-old felt he was never at the races against the Frenchman.

“I felt like it was the worst match that I ever played in my career,” he said. “[I] couldn’t play. Honestly, I’ve been practising really well here in this tournament.

“The previous days, I was feeling great, hitting the ball clear, moving well. I don’t know what happened. I don’t know how I felt like this, but I couldn’t control myself. I couldn’t be better. So this match, it was impossible to win.”

BOXING

Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford given lifeline as Turki Alalshikh reveals message from Mexican superstar

HE Turki Alalshikh has left the door open for Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford.

The blockbuster showdown had been at the top of the Saudi boxing chief’s wishlist earlier this year with a big money offer said to have been sent to Canelo’s team.

However, HE Alalshikh quickly withdrew the proposal after communication lines broke down with the Mexican superstar.

JUST IN: ‘I GET PUMPED FOR SUCH THINGS’ – USYK EXPECTS A TOUGH REMATCH FROM FURY

Taking to X earlier this month, he wrote: “I decided to disregard the Canelo fight, as I don’t want it anymore.

“Instead, I will be focusing for the US market with bigger fights, especially for the legend Crawford.”

Canelo responded by insisting that he ‘doesn’t like the way HE Alalshikh works’ and that he wouldn’t be discussing future fights until his next outing against Edgar Berlanga on September 14 is wrapped up.

Taking exception to Canelo’s words, HE Alalshikh released a statement, in which he accused the Mexican superstar of being afraid of fighting David Benavidez and Crawford.

However, they appear to have made up now, as Alalshikh told Charlie Parson via an X Space interview: “We were talking with Canelo for a long time, around four months to do a big fight with him.

“What bothered me was when he announced that he respects me but he doesn’t like what Riyadh Season is doing to boxing.

“After that I responded with what I responded and he sent an indirect message to me by someone and said, ‘No I am respecting you, but there was a situation between me and Eddie when we talk and I don’t like the way Eddie talking to me.’

“Then I said it is not my responsibility if something happens between you and someone else, why get me inside this?

“We want to do the big fights. My door is open to all the fighters, so let’s see, he sent to me an indirect message that he wants to connect after the fight, but I don’t know if this is a real message or not.

“It is nothing personal it is business. I’d like to see the fight against Crawford, I’d like to see the fight against Benavidez.”

With the Canelo vs Crawford clash seemingly on the rocks, ‘Bud’ has received an offer from the Saudis to fight Vergil Ortiz.

But that fight as well as a much-anticipated bout with IBF super welterweight champion Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis seem unlikely at this stage.

“Great fight but not the top fight we want to see,” Alalshikh said of Crawford vs Ennis.

“I don’t think Crawford will fight anyone except Canelo… We give him offer for (Vergil) Ortiz, I don’t know if he’ll take it or not.

“We have an agreement to do big fight for Ortiz if Crawford doesn’t take the fight.”

Only time will tell who Crawford fights next, but he appears to have his heart set on Canelo.

BOXING

‘I GET PUMPED FOR SUCH THINGS’ – USYK EXPECTS A TOUGH REMATCH FROM FURY

Oleksandr Usyk does not expect the December 21 rematch with Tyson Fury to be easier.

Usyk won the first fight in a split decision to become the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion. It was Fury’s first loss, as Usyk became a two-weight undisputed champion following his feats at cruiserweight. Usyk dominated the fight, aside from the middle rounds, as he almost stopped Fury in round nine.

The referee intervened with a standing eight count just when Usyk was going for the finish. After having shared 12 rounds with him, Usyk still expects a tough fight. The Ukrainian admitted Fury was his hardest fight, as he was giving up 40 pounds going into the ring.

JUST IN: Anthony Joshua vs Daniel Dubois: Beating AJ will make me ‘legit champion’ – Dubois

He also had a seven-inch reach disadvantage. This time around, Usyk will go into the fight as the favorite. There is a different pressure, knowing that Fury performs best when he is the underdog. But Usyk is preparing for a much tougher fight.

“No, it won’t be easier. I think it will be even more difficult. Look. I always set myself up for a hard night, never an easy one. I’m expecting the cosmos that will crush me so only my eyes will see what happening. I get pumped for such things. I don’t think that it will be easier for me, but I don’t need it to be easier. Diamonds cannot be found in easy, because they are not there. You cannot succeed without hard work, everything that is given easily does not grow,” Usyk said

Usyk’s comments do have some credence. If Fury comes out second best again, it will confirm the narrative that he is not the best heavyweight of his era. He infamously referred to Usyk as a blown-up middleweight. Usyk lost to Shawn Porter in the amateurs in that weight class. Further, derogatory comments included rabbit, playing into the narrative that Fury would impose his size on Usyk, who would be running.

Fury even went further, saying he would retire if he lost to Usyk. While he has not done so, it could happen with another loss to Usyk. There is plenty on the line as a Fury fight against Anthony Joshua is possible.

The Saudis have said they want to make that fight next. In order for the demand to remain, Fury must beat Usyk, while Joshua must overcome Daniel Dubois on September 21. That sets up the narrative for an undisputed fight between Fury and Joshua. But Usyk has his views, as he could give Joshua a third fight if the results play out that way.

“I don’t particularly want any rematches, but when we beat Tyson Fury for the second time and when Anthony Joshua beats Daniel Dubois, of course they will want to do a third fight. From my point of view, I have no right to deny Anthony a third fight because he gave me two incredible fights. Anthony helped me become even more famous in the world. Anthony did it, and if it happens with God’s help, then I am ready for a third fight with Anthony,” Usyk stated