As talk of Terence Crawford\u2019s future continues, one undefeated star wants a piece of the newly crowned undisputed super middleweight champion.<\/p>\n
Crawford<\/a> cemented his status as arguably boxing\u2019s best active fighter and one of the all-time greats this past Saturday, when he headlined a Netflix event co-promoted by Dana White and Turki Alalshikh.<\/p>\n At Las Vegas\u2019 Allegiant Stadium, Crawford beat the great Canelo Alvarez<\/a>. The result was an upset, and among those likely surprised by how the fight played out was interim WBC super welterweight titleholder Vergil Ortiz Jr.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are different types of power,\u201d Ortiz told The Ring<\/a> ahead of the September 13 fight. \u201cWith Canelo, it feels like an unstoppable force. He\u2019s not necessarily explosive, but man, he\u2019s heavy-handed.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not about favoritism toward Canelo, it\u2019s just logical \u2014 a bigger great fighter beats a smaller great fighter\u2026Honestly, I feel like Crawford should have tested himself against someone else at 168 before going straight for Canelo.\u201d<\/p>\n After being proved wrong by \u2018Bud\u2019, Ortiz wants the chance to do what Alvarez couldn\u2019t.<\/p>\n The final 30 seconds of Canelo \u00c1lvarez vs. Terence Crawford.<\/p>\n Even while ahead on the scorecards, Terence Crawford stayed aggressive, still hunting for a potential knockout in the championship rounds. pic.twitter.com\/OpChd9zM04<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Netflix Sports (@netflixsports) September 17, 2025<\/a> <\/p>\n View Tweet<\/p>\n Vergil Ortiz open to moving up for the Terence Crawford fight<\/p>\n Ortiz is one of the fastest-rising stars in boxing<\/a>, having accumulated a perfect 23-0 record with a strong 90 percent knockout rate. \u2018The Texas Machine\u2019 most recently defeated an opponent he shares with Crawford, Israil Madrimov, to retain the interim title that he claimed with a win over Serhii Bohachuk.<\/p>\n While the 27-year-old thinks 168 pounds would be at the limit of his current capabilities, he would be more than willing to move up to 160 pounds for a long-awaited shot at handing Crawford his first defeat.<\/p>\n \u2018If the fight comes up, if the opportunity comes up, I would love that fight,\u201d Ortiz told YSM Sports Media<\/a> before the Alvarez<\/a> fight.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy not?\u201d Ortiz added when asked if he would fight Crawford right now at 160 pounds.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like I\u2019m big at 154 as it is. I was a big 140, big 147, big 154. I always said I would go up to 160 eventually, so why not?\u201d<\/p>\n Ortiz has since reiterated that sentiment, telling ESNews that a clash with Crawford is \u201ca good fight\u201d that he\u2019s been \u201ccalling for since he was at 147.\u201d<\/p>\n Vergil Ortiz may have competition from Ilia Topuria<\/p>\n Ortiz is not the only prominent name eyeing up a showdown with Crawford, and one of the most notable comes from outside of boxing.<\/p>\n Topuria has been targeting Crawford<\/a> since before his victory over Alvarez, and talk of their fantasy fight has picked up in recent days.<\/p>\n After seeing \u2018Bud\u2019 deny even knowing who the Spaniard was during an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show<\/a>, Topuria hit back on social media and once again vowed to KO the undisputed super middleweight king in the ring.<\/p>\n \u201cYou say you\u2019re an MMA fan but you don\u2019t even know who I am\u2026interesting,\u201d Topuria wrote on X<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe first time we met you told me \u2018good luck this week with your fight.\u2019 Your memory fails you\u2026and soon your chin will too.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll represent the entire MMA community. Pound-for-pound #1 in real fights vs the pound-for-pound boxer,\u201d Topuria added.<\/p>\n