Terence Crawford stood tall when he faced Israil Madrimov, where each punch was thrown with calculations.

In a clash of willpower and boxing IQ, he edged out the Uzbek fighter and bagged the WBA title. A few had anticipated this close encounter, where a round if it went differently, could have changed the result. But the American fighter had a fair idea of what he was getting into. Now, he wants the fans’ respect for picking a tougher champion.

Crawford, 36, had to shut down the noise about not picking other champions, with some questioning the caliber of Madrimov, 29, as a champion. However, since the fight’s conclusion, the fans have been pouring in praises for him. They hadn’t witnessed someone push ‘Bud’ to his limits in a long time and nearly stop this undefeated juggernaut. But shouldn’t Crawford be receiving respect for toppling such a champion? That’s exactly what he argues.

READ: “I’m a threat to his legacy”: Terence Crawford blasts Canelo Alvarez over ‘antics’ and ‘excuses’

Crawford, at 41-0, turned to his X handle and pointed out the love that fans had bestowed on Madrimov. He wrote, “I love that everyone is giving Madrimov his credit/respect because yall haters was definitely calling him a cherry pick when we all said he was a champion for a reason. Look just give me my respect and stop the hate.”

I love that everyone is giving Madrimov his credit/respect because yall haters was definitely calling him a cherry pick when we all said he was a champion for a reason. Look just give me my respect and stop the hate.

— Terence Crawford (@terencecrawford) August 9, 2024

There have been demands for a rematch between the two. But no one is sure whether the fans will get to see a rematch or not. With the support of HE Turki Alalshikh, Crawford was on his way to face Canelo Alvarez, but it seems unlikely as the Mexican champion’s attention is now on his upcoming fight with Edgar Berlanga.

If Oscar De La Hoya is to be believed, that worked out well for the Omaha native, as the holes in his game were on display against Madrimov. What’s more? There are rumors of Vergil Ortiz Jr. being next in line. So, where do the two stand in contrast to each other?

De La Hoya weighed in on the gulf of skills between Ortiz Jr. and Madrimov and declared, “Better skills, I literally think he [Vergil Ortiz Jr.] has better skills. It’s not the punching power. Crawford has ring IQ like there’s no tomorrow, but he was exposed last Saturday night. He was exposed against Madrimov.”

While there are no concrete reports on who the WBA champion will take on next, HE Turki Alalshikh has charted out a plan. Teofimo Lopez and Ortiz Jr. find themselves in the mix. But Crawford could also pick other champions at 154, trying to become undisputed in a third division.

Branding Terence Crawford Fight “Easy Money”, Canelo Alvarez Admits David Benavidez “Is a Risk” as He Remains Adamant on $200 Million Demand

The trio is back on the headlines! Who? Canelo Alvarez, Terence Crawford, and David Benavidez, of course. ‘Cinnamon’ just spoke about a potential fight against ‘Bud’, claiming it’s going to be a walk in the park for him. But that’s not all, folks. He even revealed why he wants $200 million for a fight against ‘The Mexican Monster’. Spoiler alert—He is a risk! So, let’s start from the top.

Terence Crawford just defeated Israil Madrimov last weekend at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles. While Crawford won the title in a fourth weight class, his performance wasn’t exactly something to ride home about, proving Canelo, who is a weight class above Madrimov, would be difficult to say the least. Something Canelo agreed with while appearing in the Sway’s Universe podcast.

JUST IN: Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford Suffers Huge Blow As Fight Appears To Be Ruled Out Forever

Alright, the thing is, during last weekend’s event, His Excellency Turki Alalshikh came on air to suggest he is willing to offer Canelo a deal to make the fight against Crawford happen. So, the host of the show brought up the subject while speaking to Canelo on the podcast, asking whether a substantial offer would sway him to accept the fight.

In response, Canelo, confident in his ability to take down Crawford with ease, said, “Why not? I think Crawford, don’t get me wrong, he is a great fighter, but for me, in my weight class, it’s an easy fight. Easy money”. Interestingly, the former undisputed super middleweight champion even claimed that he doesn’t like fighting boxers like Crawford because of a specific reason.

“He moves a lot, and the fight is not that great”, said Canelo, but after watching Crawford’s bout against Israil Madrimov last weekend, Canelo seems to have had a change of heart. “I saw Crawford in the last fight, and he doesn’t move that much now. So, if the money is right, why not”, Canelo said. Meanwhile, Crawford wasn’t the only topic of discussion during the podcast!

David Benavidez, Canelo’s WBC mandatory for over a year now, has been asking for a fight against the Mexican super star vehemently. However, earlier this year, Canelo openly demanded $200 million to face ‘The Mexican Monster’, and he got a lot of flak for it too. Despite that, he seems adamant about getting his $200 million, no matter what! Near the end of the podcast, Canelo took some questions from the fans, who had called in to interact directly with Canelo.

One fan questioned Canelo about the reason behind his $200 million demand. To this, Canelo quickly responded, “Obviously, he is a risk. He is a great fighter, and plus, he brings to the ring on fight night 25 pounds more than me…” However, Canelo claims he doesn’t care about Benavidez coming in overweight for the fight because “I can beat that guy tomorrow” but only if he gets the money he wants.

As it appears, the Terence Crawford vs. Canelo Alvarez fight might actually become a reality. That’s if Crawford hasn’t changed his mind after fighting on the higher weight limit. In the meantime, nothing really has changed in the David Benavidez front.

Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford has been the megafight within boxing that has been talked about month in recent months, but it appears that the potential showdown has suffered a major blow and been ruled out of ever happening.

Crawford became a four-weight world champion on Saturday with a victory over Israil Madrimov, and attention immediately turned to a future clash with Canelo.

The Mexican star defends his WBC, WBA and WBO super-middleweight titles against Edgar Berlanga next month, with a potential clash against Crawford set to happen in 2025 at the earliest.

JUST IN: ‘Benavidez doesn’t sell, Morrell doesn’t sell… I have superstar status’ – Edgar Berlanga

It was thought the one stumbling block would have been the weight, but it seems that it will no longer even be for debate, after Saudi chief Turki Al-Alshikh declared that he no longer has any plans to make the fight between Canelo and Crawford.

“Just wrapped up an important meeting now with my team, planning for the upcoming fights that we will make for 2024-2025. 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.

Additionally, I will support making fights for Boots, Haney, Shakur, Ortiz, Anderson, Benavidez, Zepeda and more, regarding Tim Tszyu, there’s something unclear with the communications from his team with our team, so I believe I will reconsider his situation.

“For the rest of the world, definitely, I am focusing on Riyadh Season card, Wembley edition 21st of September (AJ vs. Dubois) and depending on the results and the results of Riyadh Season’s opening card (Bivol vs. Beterbiev) on the 12th of October, I will build the card for the rematch of Fury vs. Usyk on the 21st of December and another big card on the first quarter of 2025. Stay tuned.”

It is currently unknown why Al-Alshikh has opted to walk away from making a Canelo vs. Crawford fight, with the Saudi chief having never failed in the past to make any of the superfights he wanted to see take place.

He has successfully been able to make undisputed fights such as Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk and Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol, but it seems any hopes that boxing fans had of seeing Canelo and Crawford step into the ring together are now ruled out.