“He’s a great fighter, but if you look up his career, mention one elite fighter.” Imagine arguably your biggest rival dismissing your flawless 41-0 record, four-division world championships, and two-division undisputed crown. For most, such a resume would justify retiring as a legend. Yet, no matter how much Terence Crawford achieves, his legitimacy faces relentless skepticism.

Before the 37-year-old faces Canelo Alvarez on September 13th, he joined the Mexican on the appropriately titled G.O.A.T.S. podcast alongside Dana White, Tom Brady, and Shaquille O’Neal. During the conversation, Cinnamon downplayed Crawford’s achievement, asking, “Just mention me one elite fighter.” Stunned, the Omaha native namedropped Victor Postol and Ricky Burns just to be turned down by Alvarez as brutally. “Who’s that?” asked Canelo, dismissing both as elite fighters.

A few hours after the clip went viral, journalist Mike Coppinger doubled down on Alvarez’s claim. He took to his ‘X’ and wrote, “There’s simply no universe where Viktor Postol or Ricky Burns were ever in sniffing distance of elite.” Though significant wins, Coppinger argues they weren’t against elite fighters, asserting that Errol Spence Jr. is the only top-tier opponent Terence Crawford has faced.

This is not the first time that Terence Crawford has faced such criticism. However, just when it seemed the narrative would repeat itself, Devin Haney stepped in to shift the perspective. Replying to Coppinger’s tweet, he accepted that Postol and Burns weren’t elite. However, that was just a misjudgment on Crawford’s part, not a reflection of his elite resume. “Bud has Errol.. Porter.. Brook.. Khan.. Gamboa idk why he chose those two,” Haney wrote, puzzled by why Bud named Postol and Burns when he has such a lucrative resume to offer.

Devin Haney ain’t wrong. Looking at Terence Crawford’s career, he dropped the ball while arguing Canelo Alvarez’s claims. And by the end, he had to tip his cap towards the Mexican, saying that he would finally be fighting an elite opponent no one could argue against. Furthermore, given all the criticism, the Omaha native is hell bent on proving everyone wrong, even denying the rehydration clause.

Terence Crawford wants no doubts

Bud has never run from any challenges and thrives in pressure. Stack the odds against him, and he will find a way to come out on top. Even for the September 13 clash, despite coming up two weight classes, he wants no excuses and denied the rehydration clause so he can face Canelo at his best.

“I don’t want no excuses, I don’t want no reasons why he don’t feel good or anything. I want him at his best,” he said, explaining why he never pushed for a catchweight or rehydration clause during the official press conference. The 37-year-old added that he didn’t even push for a rematch clause, confident that he would finish the job in his first try.

On paper, the stacks are completely against Crawford. However, his unshakable confidence against someone like Canelo Alvarez is giving his fans a bit of hope. The only question is: Is there any substance behind that confidence, or is it just a facade during the promotional run? We will get all the answers on September 13, and if Terence Crawford is right, he will have an elite name that no one can deny.

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