Terence Crawford’s Career Was Filled With Missed Opportunities

Terence “Bud” Crawford is undeniably one of the most skilled boxers of his generation, with an unblemished 42-0 record, undisputed titles at 140 and 147 pounds, and now 168 a rare ability to dominate opponents with surgical precision. Yet, despite his brilliance, Crawford’s legacy is clouded by the marquee fights he never got to fight and the perception that many of his biggest wins came against opponents past their prime. As names like Oleksandr Usyk and Naoya Inoue build bulletproof resumes with defining victories, Crawford’s career choices—particularly his long tenure with Top Rank and reluctance to cross promotional lines—have left gaps in his resume that may prevent him from being seen as the best fighter of his era.

The Fights That Never Happened

Crawford’s career is marked by a frustrating list of dream matchups that never materialized, each derailed by a mix of promotional politics, timing issues, and strategic decisions. Here are the key fights he missed and why they didn’t happen:

1. Manny Pacquiao: In the mid-2010s, a prime Crawford at 140 pounds was the perfect stylistic foil for Pacquiao, then a welterweight superstar. A 2016 or 2017 clash could have been a passing-of-the-torch moment, pitting Crawford’s technical mastery against Pacquiao’s speed and volume. However, Crawford’s loyalty to Top Rank, Pacquiao’s promoter at the time, ironically worked against him. Top Rank prioritized other opponents for Pacquiao, like Jeff Horn in 2017, and by the time a Crawford fight was feasible, Pacquiao was in his 40s and past his peak. Posts on X from 2016 show fans clamoring for this matchup, but Top Rank’s focus on in-house fights and Pacquiao’s political commitments in the Philippines killed the possibility.

2. Keith Thurman: Thurman, a former WBA and WBC welterweight champion, was a prime target for Crawford from 2017 to 2019. Thurman’s power and slickness would have tested Crawford’s adaptability. However, Thurman was aligned with Premier Boxing Champions (PBC), while Crawford stayed with Top Rank. The promotional divide—Top Rank’s ESPN platform versus PBC’s Showtime/Fox deals—created a logistical nightmare. Negotiations in 2018 stalled over purse splits and venue disputes, with Thurman reportedly demanding a 60-40 split that Top Rank deemed unreasonable. By the time Thurman lost to Pacquiao in 2019 and struggled with injuries, the fight’s allure had faded.

3. Danny Garcia: Garcia, another PBC welterweight, was a fan-favorite matchup for Crawford around 2018-2020. His counterpunching and Philly toughness could have made for a thrilling chess match. Like Thurman, Garcia’s PBC allegiance was a major barrier. Top Rank and PBC rarely co-promoted, and Garcia’s team leaned toward safer, higher-paying fights like his 2020 bout with Errol Spence Jr. Fans on X expressed frustration, with one 2019 post lamenting, “Crawford vs. Garcia would be fire, but PBC and Top Rank won’t play nice.” Timing also hurt: Garcia’s move to 154 pounds by 2022 made the fight less relevant.

4. Yordenis Ugas: Ugas, who won the WBA welterweight title in 2020, was a viable opponent during Crawford’s undisputed reign at 147. His technical boxing and resilience, shown in his 2021 upset of Pacquiao, would have challenged Crawford. Yet, Ugas’ PBC ties and Crawford’s commitment to Top Rank’s ESPN platform meant negotiations never gained traction. Ugas’ team prioritized a 2021 Spence fight instead, and by the time Ugas lost his title, Crawford was eyeing bigger names like Spence and Canelo.

The common thread in these missed fights is Crawford’s decision to stay with Top Rank, which limited his access to PBC’s deep welterweight stable. While Top Rank provided him with a stable platform and major fights like Jose Benavidez Jr. and Jeff Horn, it also restricted cross-promotional bouts. Crawford’s reluctance to leave Top Rank, even as a free agent in 2022, delayed his ability to face PBC stars until the Spence fight in 2023. Additionally, his slow activity—sometimes fighting only once a year—meant prime opponents aged out or moved on.

Fights Against Past-Their-Prime Opponents

While Crawford’s record is flawless, critics argue his resume lacks the elite, prime-time wins that define all-time greats. Several of his biggest victories came against opponents who were arguably past their peak:

1. 1. Canelo Alvarez (2024): Crawford’s move to 154 pounds to face Canelo was a bold gamble, but the 37-year-old Mexican star was coming off a grueling career at 168 and 175 pounds. Canelo’s reflexes and durability weren’t what they were during his 2018-2021 prime, and Crawford’s unanimous decision win, while impressive, didn’t carry the same weight as it would have five years earlier. This is the defining win of Bud’s career and he likely would have given Canelo problems at any weight, but as some X posts noted Canelo’s slower footwork, with one user saying, “Bud beat a legend, but not prime Canelo.”

1. Errol Spence Jr. (2023): Crawford’s TKO of Spence in July 2023 was a career-defining win, making him undisputed at 147. However, Spence was coming off a car accident in 2019 and eye surgery, and some argued he wasn’t the same fighter who dominated Mikey Garcia in 2019. Crawford’s ninth-round stoppage was dominant, but critics pointed out Spence’s diminished speed and durability, with one X post claiming, “Spence was a shell of himself.”

2. Shawn Porter (2021): Crawford’s TKO of Porter was a hard-fought win, but Porter, at 34, was nearing the end of his career after wars with Spence, Thurman, and Garcia. While Porter’s aggression tested Crawford, his prime was arguably 2016-2019, reducing the win’s impact.

3. Amir Khan (2019): Khan’s speed made him a tricky opponent, but at 32 and after years of brutal knockouts, he was far from his 140-pound prime. Crawford’s sixth-round TKO was expected, with fans on X calling it a “mismatch.”

4. Kell Brook (2020): Brook, a former welterweight champion, was 34 and coming off a long layoff when Crawford stopped him in four rounds. Brook’s prime was his 2016 upset of Gennady Golovkin at 160, and his move back to 147 didn’t recapture that form.

These wins showcase Crawford’s brilliance, but the “past their prime” narrative hurts his resume’s perception. Unlike Usyk, who defeated prime Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury, or Inoue, who knocked out prime Luis Nery and Nonito Donaire, Crawford’s signature victories often come with asterisks.

Why Crawford Trails Usyk and Inoue

Oleksandr Usyk and Naoya Inoue have built resumes that outshine Crawford’s due to their consistent fights against top-tier, prime opponents:

• Usyk: The Ukrainian star unified cruiserweight titles against Murat Gassiev and Mairis Briedis in their primes, then moved to heavyweight to beat Anthony Joshua (twice) and Tyson Fury in 2021-2024. His resume boasts three lineal titles across two divisions and wins over five current or former champions, all in their prime or near it. Usyk’s activity (15 fights from 2018-2025) and willingness to fight anyone, anywhere, contrast with Crawford’s slower pace.

• Inoue: The “Monster” has unified titles at 118 and 122 pounds, with devastating knockouts of prime fighters like Stephen Fulton, Luis Nery, and Marlon Tapales. Inoue’s 26-0 record includes 13 world champions, and his relentless schedule (three fights in 2024 alone) keeps him in the spotlight. His ability to clear out divisions without promotional barriers sets him apart.

Crawford’s resume, while stellar, lacks the same depth of prime, elite wins. His undisputed reigns at 140 and 147 are impressive, but opponents like Jeff Horn, Egidijus Kavaliauskas, and Jose Benavidez Jr. don’t carry the same cachet as Usyk’s Joshua or Inoue’s Fulton. The Spence win is his strongest, but its late timing (2023) and Spence’s health concerns dilute its impact. Crawford’s loyalty to Top Rank, while providing stability, limited his access to PBC’s welterweight stars during their primes, and his sparse fight schedule—averaging 1.5 fights per year from 2018-2023—meant fewer opportunities to build a defining legacy.

Can Crawford Still Be the Best?

Crawford’s skill set—switch-hitting, knockout power, and ring IQ—makes him a pound-for-pound great, and at 37, he’s still near his peak. His 2024 win over Canelo at 168 showed he can compete with the best, even if Canelo wasn’t prime. However, to surpass Usyk and Inoue, Crawford needs more high-profile fights before time runs out. A potential 2026 clash with Jaron “Boots” Ennis or Vergil Ortiz Jr., both young and dangerous, could bolster his resume, but these fights face the same promotional hurdles.

Ultimately, Crawford’s missed opportunities against Pacquiao, Thurman, Garcia, and Ugas, combined with wins over past-prime foes, leave his resume slightly short of Usyk’s and Inoue’s. His technical brilliance is unquestioned, but boxing’s legacy is built on who you fight and when. As fans on X continue to debate, with one post saying, “Bud’s the best technician, but Usyk and Inoue fought the best in their prime,” Crawford’s era-defining status hinges on what he does next.