Photo by Lawrence Lustig
Any of these three fighters would be better options for Terence Crawford’s next fight. Ultimately, with the uncertainty of a clear end to the Top Rank/Golden Boy cold war, the Miguel Vazquez and Omar Figueroa fights could end up being fantasy matchups that may never materialize.
As previously stated, “Sugar” Ray Beltran is a solid and deserving opponent. He’s had some set backs in his lengthy career, most of which were due to horrible judging and bad luck. The latest example being his controversial split-decision draw with Burns. After 15 years in the sport, and at 33 year old, his prospects and opportunity for upward mobility are decreasing every day.
A fight with Beltran would amass Crawford the experience he needs to compete at an elite level, but wins over Vazquez or Figueroa, or a rematch with Yuriorkis Gamboa would do more to build a stronger foundation for Crawford and legitimize his first-rate potential.
There are some honorable mentions that didn’t quite make the cut. It’s not totally impractical for Crawford to move up to 140 pounds and challenge Danny “Swift” Garcia’s clinch on the division. Garcia didn’t look convincing in his controversial majority decision victory against the unorthodox Mauricio Herrera.
Recently, Mikey Garcia has mentioned moving up to 135 pounds and a potential bout with Crawford would sell from the fighters’ popularity alone. Stylistically, the fight is an intriguing matchup where a case can be made for either guy winning.
The catch: Garcia is handcuffed while waiting on a settlement from a legal suit he filed against Top Rank. Once again, this may be an impossible fight to make in light of Bob Arum’s history of rarely negotiating with fighters who have filed suits against him, as Crawford fights under the Top Rank banner.
Crawford has the advantage over all three of these opponents at lightweight. His ability to transition from orthodox to southpaw is one of the most natural and effective applications of switch hitting since “Marvelous” Marvin Hagler’s middleweight reign. He also appears to be more technical than Vazquez, Figueroa and Gamboa. The only knock on Crawford is that when he knows his opponent is inferior, his boredom with the fight is noticeable. When he is bored, he becomes a bit too relaxed and vaguely sloppy.
It’s hardly a real issue for him, as Crawford makes great adjustments during his fights. If his opponents were to try to take advantage of Crawford’s boredom by landing a huge shot, Crawford would not be afraid to take risks and trade.
Crawford has a bright future ahead of him. Hopefully, he is able to make the necessary moves to capitalize on his talents and abilities and materialize his star quality.
Header photo by Chris Farina/Top Rank
