{"id":702107,"date":"2026-07-20T19:58:08","date_gmt":"2026-07-20T19:58:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/702107\/"},"modified":"2026-07-20T19:58:08","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T19:58:08","slug":"oleksandr-usyk-picks-a-winner-in-prime-sugar-ray-leonard-vs-terence-crawford","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/702107\/","title":{"rendered":"Oleksandr Usyk picks a winner in prime Sugar Ray Leonard vs Terence Crawford"},"content":{"rendered":"

Terence Crawford<\/a> cemented his place amongst the pound-for-pound greats when he dethroned Canelo Alvarez last year, and now fellow modern boxing legend Oleksandr Usyk<\/a> has revealed how he believes \u2018Bud\u2019 would have fared against the iconic Sugar Ray Leonard<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Crawford became boxing\u2019s sixth five-division world champion when he got the better of super-middleweight poster boy Canelo<\/a>\u00a0back in September.<\/p>\n

There, he also became the only post-war fighter to have captured the undisputed crown in three different weight-classes \u2013 having already achieved the feat at both super-lightweight and welterweight.<\/p>\n

Shortly after that history-making triumph, Crawford made the decision to walk away from the sport with his undefeated record intact, content with a career that finished with a record of 42-0.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Sugar Ray Leonard is hailed for his efforts in the 1980s<\/a>, when he battled with his fellow \u2018Four Kings\u2019 and got the better of each of Robert Duran, Thomas Hearns and Marvin Hagler.\u00a0<\/p>\n

After Hearns became boxing\u2019s first five-division champion on November 4, 1988, Leonard joined him as the sport\u2019s second quintuple champion just three days later when Leonard got his hands on both the WBC super-middleweight and WBC light-heavyweight gold in a knockout win over Donny Lalonde.<\/p>\n

Yet, despite the skill, will and legacy of Leonard, Usyk told Daily Mail Sport<\/a> that he thinks Crawford would have got the better of the Wilmington-born sensation if they were to meet in their primes.<\/p>\n

Usyk also predicted that Crawford would have overcome Pernell Whitaker, Floyd Mayweather and Sugar Ray Robinson \u2013 a testament to the regard in which the Ukrainian holds Crawford, who had been considered as his pound-for-pound rival before his retirement.<\/p>\n