The long-awaited dream clash between Canelo Álvarez and Terence Crawford has finally made it onto paper—but it didn’t come easy. Despite the significant weight gap and Canelo’s previous reluctance to entertain a bout with Bud, the two-division undisputed champion is taking a massive leap, moving up two weight classes to challenge one of boxing’s biggest names. Physically, he’s bulking up. Mentally? He’s all in. Terence Crawford is rooting for his opponent to beat William Scull in his upcoming bout with ease, not because he’s a fan, but because he wants the best version of the Mexican superstar. The undisputed super middleweight title is just a bonus for him. But here’s what makes this even more interesting.
Terence Crawford’s confidence wasn’t built on just his boxing skills. Sure, he boasts a flawless 41-0 pro record with 31 KOs, but that killer instinct was forged in the fire of early setbacks. In his amateur days, Terence Crawford tasted defeat 11 times in 36 fights. And unlike many boxing legends, he never had Olympic dreams. Most fighters dream about standing on that Olympic podium, with a gold medal wrapped around their neck, hearing the national anthem blast through the arena. Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, Joe Frazier, George Foreman—they all did it. It’s like a rite of passage for elite boxers. But Crawford? Nah. That was never his goal.
Bud thought TV was where the big bucks are
Yesterday, NFL veteran Shannon Sharpe sat down with Terence Crawford at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas for a special on-the-road edition of Club Shay Shay. In a raw and revealing three-hour-long conversation, Bud Crawford opened up about the Olympic path he never took. When Shannon Sharpe asked him point-blank if he ever wanted to be an Olympic gold medalist, Crawford immediately replied: “Never.” Why not? Because he wasn’t chasing medals. Because he had a mantra. “I’m a leader, not a follower,” the 37-year-old stated. He didn’t want to follow the blueprint set by those before him. Instead, “I wanted to be a world champion.” The reason? Because, “I wanted to go make money.”
Boxen: 62nd WBC Annual Convention, Gala Dinner, Hamburg, 09.12.2024 Terence Crawford *** Boxing 62nd WBC Annual Convention, Gala Dinner, Hamburg, 09 12 2024 Terence Crawford
Terence Crawford revealed how, at a young age, he wanted to be on TV because being on TV meant you were making money. As an impoverished kid from Omaha, making money sounded more interesting than a gold medal. But as he found out later in life, making money on TV wasn’t that simple, and this left him frustrated. “Danny Garcia, Danny Jacobs, all these fighters getting their shine. And I was like, man, these people weren’t even close on my level,” he recounted feeling.
That kind of thing stings when you know you “always put in the work.” So in his early days, Crawford revealed how he’d leave the block, hop on his bike, and ride to the gym every single day. That grind was real. But the recognition? That didn’t come right away.
“I didn’t see the results until God said it’s time for you to see the results,” Crawford admitted. And looking at where he is now? Safe to say, it worked out well. However, the road wasn’t easy. Sometimes, all it takes is one pivotal moment to completely change your path, and for Terence Crawford, that moment flipped everything.
How Terence Crawford turned his weakness into a weapon
In the same interview, the three-time Super Bowl winner wanted to know what lit the fire in Terence Crawford for boxing. To answer that, Bud Crawford looked back to when he lost to Michael Dallas Jr. at the National Silver Gloves tournament as an amateur. That loss was a wake-up call. Until then, he wasn’t fully committed to the sport. “I could make something out of this. Because I am hanging with top guys around the world,” he told Shannon Sharpe.
Apr 20, 2019; New York, NY, USA; Terence Crawford (yellow trunks) trades punches with Amir Khan (white trunks) during the WBO welterweight title fight at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Sarah Stier-USA TODAY Sports
But just when things were starting to come together, life threw a curveball. “Boom! I get into a fight,” Terence Crawford said. It wasn’t in the ring—it was in the streets. The result? Surgery on his right hand, the one he uses to box. Doctors told him he couldn’t box for months. “Man, you can’t box,” he recalled the doctors telling him. That was crushing for a young Crawford who had just discovered his love for the sport.
But quitting? That’s not in Terence Crawford’s vocabulary. Instead, the Omaha native made a bold decision—he started fighting a southpaw. “I was already going southpaw. But my left wasn’t that strong. I was just doing it because it just came natural to me. So I was just like work on your left,” he explained.
Crazy part? That left hand—his so-called weakness—is the same hand he’s used to win 41 straight pro fights. Yet, Terence Crawford still says it’s not as strong as it could be. Shannon Sharpe? He disagrees. And after a playful face-off with Bud, Sharpe got a taste of the Nebraskan’s boxing skills and didn’t need any more convincing.
Can skill and mindset truly overcome a two-weight-class disadvantage against a fighter like Canelo Álvarez? What do you think?
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