Vergil Ortiz Jr says his victory over Serhii Bohachuk has given him the belief that he is the best fighter in the super-welterweight division and that he welcomes the opportunity to fight Terence Crawford.

Ortiz (22-0-0 21 KO) defeated Bohachuk (24-2-0 23 KO) earlier this month in Las Vegas via a contentious split decision following a thrilling Fight of the Year contender. The win, which Ortiz secured despite two knockdowns, saw the Texan claim the Ukrainian’s WBC interim belt to put him in contention for his first world title shot.

It was also the first time Ortiz had been taken the distance, and by winning the championship rounds that proved vital to the result, the 26-year-old said he gained a huge amount of experience about his skill and endurance.

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“It really boosts my confidence because I know I can be in that type of fight,” Ortiz said in an interview with BoxingScene. “I’m not always going to be in that kind of fight … but this shows I’m always going to have it the energy to do what I need to do, and it can be there in the 12th round.

“I already knew I could go 12 rounds. Everyone else had those doubts in their mind: ‘What happens when he goes 12 rounds? Is he going to look great?’ I saw people saying I’d get stopped, that he was going to be too much for me, that I was going to gas out. It was almost fun in there for me because I went those 12 rounds very easily and I still had a lot of energy. I could’ve gone 12 more.”

Ortiz could now be set for the biggest fight of his career against pound-for-pound star and recently-crowned WBA champion Crawford. Saudi Arabian boxing boss Turki Alalshikh agreed on the live broadcast ahead of Ortiz’s fight with Bohachuk that he would make the Crawford fight if he won. Earlier this week, Alalshikh revealed an offer has gone out to Crawford, but believes the Nebraskan “only wants Canelo” Alvarez.

“I’m more than confident I can beat everyone in the division. I feel like I’m the best in this division,” Ortiz said. “I just need the fights to show that. I’m willing to fight anyone.

“I’ve never turned a fight down. The WBO president said I did. I never turned any fight down. If they want to bring the fight with Crawford now, I would love that fight. He’s arguably the world’s (best) pound-for-pound (fighter). That’s a great fight to make.”

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The biggest obstacle standing in the way of the bout appears to be Crawford’s apparent interest in only fighting Canelo next. The wider fascination in the mega-fight has cooled since Crawford’s victory over Israil Madrimov on August 3, which might have made him a four-weight world champion but also demonstrated that his power has not fully carried to the 154lbs division.

Climbing higher to super-middleweight to challenge unified champion Canelo – known for his power and granite chin – therefore seems a step too far in the eyes of most observers.

“(Crawford) genuinely has that big super-fight in mind and I can’t say I’m bigger than Canelo Alvarez with a straight face, for sure,” Ortiz said. “I see why Crawford wants that fight. But a fight with me is more realistic.

“I really don’t know what to think. It’s a massive jump. He wants to test himself just like I do, but … Crawford just moved up from 147. And he wants to fight Canelo at 168 … I’m not saying Crawford doesn’t have the skills to do it, but as far as me wanting to challenge Crawford, (him) wanting to challenge Canelo is a bit more unrealistic.”

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.

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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?

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

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“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.