Teddy Atlas recently chopped it up with WBO welterweight champion and top pound-for-pound athlete Terence Crawford on his podcast. They talked about a variety of topics ranging from boxing promoters to the upcoming trilogy fight between Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder. Teddy Atlas also asked Crawford about a dream fight, after which he could consider retirement from the sport.
The 33-year-old responded by naming Manny Pacquiao and Errol Spence Jr as his top two targets in the division. While he did not talk about reasons for not fighting Spence, he mentioned he was disappointed with the collapse of a mega matchup with Manny Pacquiao. He expressed his displeasure over the Filipino Senator signing an agreement with Errol Spence in between negotiations for a fight with Crawford.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
“Would have been Pacquiao and Spence, would have been them two. Pacquiao, for one, I’ve been in line, to fight him, supposedly, since 2015. Every fight it was like, I need this fight to pass the torch to go to the next level but i felt like I was being strung along with the promises of fighting Manny Pacquiao.
Read More: Who Is Manny Pacquiao’s Manager? – Background, Contact Info, and More
“Granted that the last time me and Manny Pacquiao was going to fight, it was very close, within just signing the contract, and then him and spence signed. So, that really was a heartbreaking moment for me. But at the same time, I was happy for Spence because, hey, if he beat Manny Pacquiao, then it makes me and his fight much bigger,” said Terence Crawford.
What’s next for Terence Crawford?
It remains unclear if Manny Pacquiao and Terence Crawford could reopen negotiations after Pacquiao’s fight with Yordenis Ugás, the current WBA welterweight champion. With Errol Spence dropping out of the initial matchup with ‘The People’s Champ’, would it make sense for Manny Pacquiao to take on Terence Crawford if he wins against Ugás on August 21?
Apart from that, there are also talks of a possible matchup between ‘Bud’ and Vergil Ortiz Jr. The 23-year-old is now all set to face Egidijus Kavaliauskas at The Star in Frisco, Texas. ‘Mean Machine’ Kavaliauskas has 22 wins and just one loss against Terence Crawford. On the other hand, Ortiz holds a perfect and clean record of 17 wins with 17 knockouts. If the trend suggests anything, it’s that Vergil Ortiz Jr will not want to leave things to the judges.
Vergil Ortiz Jr recently shared in a pre-fight interview that he wants his potential win over Kavaliauskas to signify his intentions to fight Terence Crawford next. While ‘Bud’ has accused Ortiz of ducking him, the 23-year-old is looking to put an end to that notion.
“Knocking out Kavaliauskas would send a huge message to Crawford. But I’m not going to look for the knockout. When they come naturally they look better and it makes me look better,” said Vergil Ortiz Jr.
Do you think Ortiz-Crawford is the fight to make?
Also Read: Is This Sport Secretly Taking Over Boxing and MMA?
