The chances of Terence Crawford defending his remaining three super middleweight titles against a non-Canelo Alvarez opponent are considered slim by fans.<\/p>\n
The Four Young Killers at 168<\/p>\n
The 38-year-old Crawford (42-0, 31 KOs) has these four top contenders bearing down on him like a pack of hungry wolves:<\/p>\n
Christian Mbilli
\nOsleys Iglesias
\nLester Martinez
\nHamzah Sheeraz<\/p>\n
With the WBC stripping Crawford of his title last week for his failure to pay the reduced $300,000, Mbilli and Sheeraz will likely fight for the belt. So, he may not have to worry about them going after him.<\/p>\n
The Threat of Iglesias & Martinez<\/p>\n
There\u2019s still Iglesias and Lester Martinez, who would be a terror for an aging, Shakur-esque Crawford to deal with. He couldn\u2019t potshot and move his way to a narrow victory against them as he did against Alvarez in their \u2018Fight of the Century\u2019 on September 13th. He\u2019d actually have to fight Lester and Osleys. That\u2019s not good for a fighter like Crawford, who lacks the power and willingness to stick his head out of the foxhole and get it taken off by one of those young phenoms.<\/p>\n
The $100M Rematch Price Barrier<\/p>\n
The only fighter that Crawford is expected to be willing to defend his IBF, WBA, and WBO 168-lb titles against is Canelo (63-3-2, 39 KOs). But that\u2019s still iffy because of the $100 million demands from Crawford. Fans believe that Terence is still hoping that Turki Alalshikh and the Saudis will finance the rematch with Canelo.<\/p>\n
Turki\u2019s Wallet Controls the Division<\/p>\n
If Turki is going to fund a second fight, he\u2019d have to be willing to meet Crawford\u2019s enormous price tag, along with Canelo\u2019s. Value-wise, it\u2019s hard to justify either of them getting even a quarter of what they earned in their fight last September. Crawford\u2019s $50 million and Canelo\u2019s $100 million. They fought like two older fighters, not taking risks and doing the minimum. Will Turki want to give them pay raises based on how they looked last time?<\/p>\n
If the rematch does happen, it\u2019ll be in 2026 at some point. The second half of the year would allow Canelo\u2019s injured elbow to be fully healed. It\u2019s not a big deal for Crawford that he would need to wait because he only fights once a year and has been doing that for the last five years.<\/p>\n
Chris Williams is a senior writer for Boxing News 24, covering the sport since 2013 and reporting ringside from major events worldwide. His coverage dives into both established champions and hungry prospects battling for recognition. Over the years, Chris has contributed to numerous leading boxing outlets, earning respect for his sharp analysis and insider perspective.<\/p>\n