Covering Terence Crawford‘s victory parade in his hometown of Omaha, a detailed story in The Grand Island Independent featured an interesting image. A person proudly held a license plate. It read ‘RKNG TBC‘ – Our King Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford. The first three-division undisputed champion among men held a grand celebration march through ‘The Big O‘s streets. The boxing world is paying homage to one of the greatest boxers of all time. A sublime performance saw him trounce Canelo Alvarez, one of the biggest names in the sport.

But while fans and followers party, it seems a few cracks in the armor pose a threat to Terence Crawford’s hard-earned legacy. Just a few days ago, Ronnie Shields unhesitatingly recommended retirement for Canelo. But it appears the Hall of Fame trainer hasn’t spared Crawford either. Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield’s former coach felt that unless the Nebraskan champion runs through the full round robin of the weight class, jibes about him ducking tougher challenges may begin to surface.

Terence Crawford must embrace the fire that lies ahead

FTTV Boxing shared an intriguing post on Instagram. It featured a statement from Ronnie Shields. According to the Texas-based trainer, while he basks in his unprecedented success, Terence Crawford shouldn’t forget the top-ranked contenders in the weight class. “All-time greats from the past… wouldn’t leave a division to avoid dangerous opposition,” he’s reported to have said.

So if Crawford wants himself to be counted among the greatest, then he should face David Benavidez, Christian M’billi, or Osleys Iglesias. Seemingly, Shields felt that Crawford might avoid those matchups. “He won’t do it, so he doesn’t deserve to be in a place of honor among Ali, Sugar Ray, and Armstrong, in my opinion,” he stated.

Shields, under whose tutelage David Morrell Jr. climbed up the ranks to interim championship, claimed Crawford would likely skip back to the middleweight division. He might aim for a sixth world title. However, the move could prove detrimental to his legacy. “This would be a retreat from the risk that defines true legends,” he said.

Shields may not be the only person to express these views.

The battles that beckon below

On the 3 Knockdown Rule, actor and co-host Mario Lopez speculated about a potential plan to join the 160-pound ranks. What if Terence Crawford takes on someone like the unified champion Janibek Alimkhanuly? Later, he claims the remaining two belts and becomes an undisputed champion for the fourth time. Then his name will be written in golden letters. “If he goes to middleweight and somehow becomes undisputed?” he raised an open-ended question.

No one questions Crawford’s greatness, but it seems he has to take concrete measures to cement his legacy as an all-time great. Based on his discussions with Crawford, it appears the new super middleweight kind is unsure about his next move.

While critics are free to air their views, one shouldn’t forget, Terence Crawford turns 38 today. His stellar achievement came at an age when most fighters’ careers are already fading into the sunset. From Errol Spence Jr. to Israil Madrimov and now Canelo Alvarez, he has defeated some of the biggest names of the era.

He has been active since 2008. So strictly speaking, he hasn’t much to prove. Like his friend and fellow pound-for-pound best Oleksandr Usyk, he deserves every chance to chart whatever remains of his brilliant and inspiring career.

Do you agree with what Ronnie Shields stated?