{"id":580563,"date":"2026-05-12T22:05:07","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T22:05:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/580563\/"},"modified":"2026-05-12T22:05:07","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T22:05:07","slug":"terence-crawford-responds-to-accusations-that-he-avoided-one-man-during-unbeaten-career","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/580563\/","title":{"rendered":"Terence Crawford responds to accusations that he avoided one man during unbeaten career"},"content":{"rendered":"

Terence Crawford<\/a> has addressed accusations that he swerved a world champion, saying he would have won by knockout if they ever locked horns.<\/p>\n

The former three-division undisputed king was never one to shy away from a formidable challenge, hence why he stepped up two weight classes to face Canelo Alvarez.<\/p>\n

Despite being a sizable underdog, Crawford was able to dethrone the Mexican last September<\/a>, collecting all four major super-middleweight belts with a unanimous decision victory.<\/p>\n

Even before that, \u2018Bud\u2019 had cemented himself as one of the sport\u2019s flagship fighters by scoring a ninth-round finish over Errol Spence Jr in 2023.<\/p>\n

Yet somehow, before announcing his retirement as an unbeaten five-division world champion in December, Crawford was accused by Jaron Ennis of ducking their potential fight.<\/p>\n

This was back when \u2018Boots\u2019 had become the mandatory challenger to Crawford, who would ultimately vacate his welterweight titles and dethrone Israil Madrimov at 154lbs.<\/p>\n

Ennis, in turn, was upgraded from \u2018interim\u2019 to full world champion, before eventually unifying the IBF and WBA titles against Eimantas Stanionis in April 2025.<\/p>\n

During this time, though, the American was vocal in his belief that Crawford had actively avoided him, when in reality the then-unbeaten contender represented a high-risk, low-reward option.<\/p>\n

In response, the now-retired Crawford has told King Gillie<\/a> that, if they had collided, their welterweight contest would have ended in one-sided fashion.<\/p>\n

\u201cYa\u2019ll wanted me to end Boots\u2019 career before it started. I would have knocked him the f*** out. Stop playing with me.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe wasn\u2019t ready yet. He needed a couple more fights, they said.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now campaigning at 154lbs, \u2018Boots\u2019 looks to dethrone unified world champion Xander Zayas<\/a> when they square off at the Barclays Center, Brooklyn, on June 27.<\/p>\n