1. Chris Algieri (20-1-0, 8 KOs)
Photo by Ed Mulholland
It’s quite possible that Chris Algieri could be Crawford’s quickest path to a super lightweight belt.
Algieri was stripped of his WBO title the night he took on Pacquiao at the Venetian in Macau, China. Algieri was put in his place, losing nearly every round while being knocked down six times.
When Crawford vacated his WBO lightweight title to move up, he was automatically put in a position to compete for that vacated WBO super lightweight title.
If Lucas Matthysse and Ruslan Provodnikov agree to fight each other in March, it’s possible that the WBO could order Terence Crawford and Chris Algieri to fight for the vacant title, and the winner of Matthysse-Provodnikov would be the mandatory.
This is a very juicy matchup for Crawford, although Algieri got his doors blown off by Pacquiao, he received recognition just being in the fight. He also has impressive wins over Emmanuel Taylor and Provodnikov on his resume.
It would certainly be a highly skilled affair, but one that Crawford could handle confidently. Algieri showed he can box against Provodnikov, but has looked very hittable in recent fights. Also like Herrera and Vargas, Algieri lacks knockout power.
Both men are tall and long for super lightweights, but Crawford’s strength and ability to brawl could be the difference in a fight like this.
I could see Crawford frustrating Algieri with his superior skill, forcing Algieri to mix it up, where he’d be open to be stopped by Crawford, who is arguably boxing at a higher level at this point.
Who do you think Terence Crawford should fight next? Please feel free to discuss in the comments section at the bottom of this article.
Header photo by Chris Farina/Top Rank
