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Following Terence Crawford's victory over Israil Madrimov, the boxing world wants to see what "Bud" will do next. Even before this past weekend's fight, Crawford had been talking about potentially fighting Canelo Alvarez at 168 pounds at some point soon.
Crawford wants the money and the glory that comes with fighting the Mexican superstar. But fans weren't exactly blown away by Bud's performance against Madrimov, which came at a higher weight than normal (154 pounds) for Crawford. Going up all the way to 168 could prove dangerous.
Can Bud Crawford make it up to 168 pounds for Canelo?
That's what elite boxing trainer Bob Santos believes, calling it a "step too far" in a recent interview with BoxingScene.
I think it'll be a step too big for him but he has earned the right to try it... I think Canelo would be too big and too strong for him at 168. I could be wrong. He could prove us wrong. But for the most part, I think that's just a lot to ask of Bud to go to 168... I may think it's a step too far, but that's what makes him great. That's why he was able to win at 135, 140, 147, and now 154. And he's been successful every single time, so he's at least earned that right. That's what makes him great.
Santos was named Trainer of the Year by Sports Illustrated and The Ring magazine in 2022. He has worked with fighters like David Morrell, Mario Barrios, Joel Casamayor and more. So he knows a thing or two about this sport.
Santos concedes that Crawford's legacy has been built on taking risks, and that he's earned the benefit of the doubt to make a decision like this. Crawford seems to be dead-set on it, but we'll see if it ever comes to fruition.