Terence Crawford insists sensational Canelo Alvarez bout is 'DEFINITELY realistic' after his 154-pound debut against Israil Madrimov

Boxing fans person each logic to kick successful 2024.

Between pay-per-view prices, Ryan Garcia's affirmative steroid test, and nan sport's ceaseless struggle to make compelling fights, location hasn't been overmuch to appreciate. 

Yes, Oleksandr Usyk concisely became nan first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis successful 2000, but wrong weeks of his melodramatic triumph complete Tyson Fury, nan Ukrainian icon was forced to relinquish his IBF loop owed to nan aforesaid procedural delirium that has plagued nan athletics for years. 

What boxing needs, according to arguably nan champion pound-for-pound pugilist successful nan world, is 'the champion fighting nan best.'

'I consciousness arsenic though boxing should excavation up definite fights that should beryllium made alternatively of saying ''oh this guy, he don't waste [pay per views],'' aliases ''this feline not ready,'' aliases ''this feline didn't execute good successful his past fight,''' undefeated Terence Crawford told DailyMail.com while promoting his August 3 inferior middleweight debut against Israil Madrimov. 'Fighters should conflict each other, and nan champion successful nan section should conflict nan champion successful nan division.'

And Crawford isn't conscionable talking astir divisional matchups. Asked if he thinks a imaginable bout betwixt himself and undisputed ace middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez was doable, nan 36-year-old did not hesitate: 'I decidedly deliberation that's a realistic fight. I deliberation that conflict tin decidedly happen, and we shall see.

'I deliberation I tin waste retired anywhere,' he continued. 'I don't deliberation it matters what authorities we conflict in. I deliberation nan conflict sells itself.'

The 2 would person nary shortage of options.

Aside from Las Vegas, boxing's commercialized epicenter, they could take AT&T Stadium extracurricular Dallas, wherever Alvarez has antecedently been a awesome draw, aliases return a lucrative imaginable connection from Saudi Arabia. Even Los Angeles, wherever Crawford will look Madrimov adjacent month, is simply a viable action for a monolithic pay-per-view event. 

The constituent is, Crawford-Canelo is nan benignant of once-in-a-lifetime bout that tin make monumental revenue, specify careers, and thief extremity boxing's existent funk.

But Crawford (40-0) can't spend to look excessively acold down nan roadworthy conscionable yet.

Bud, arsenic he's known, says his 'main focus' is August 3 and Madrimov, a 10-0-1 29-year-old from Uzbekistan and nan existent WBA super-welterweight champion.

'I deliberation his movement, his power, his size, his durability, his ain unorthodox movements make him different,' Crawford said erstwhile asked to measurement Madrimov against immoderate of his different challengers. 'All those things spell manus successful manus to make him different than immoderate of nan fighters that [I've seen].'

The threat is that Crawford has been retired of nan ringing since July 29 of 2023, erstwhile he earned a ninth-round TKO triumph complete Errol Spence Jr. successful a welterweight title unification bout.

Of course, Crawford doesn't needfully spot ringing rust arsenic a problem.

'I deliberation ringing rust tin play successful 2 factors,' Crawford said. 'It tin beryllium bully for a fighter, origin his assemblage is rested up.

'Or it tin spell against him. His timing will beryllium disconnected because he hasn't been successful nan ringing successful immoderate time.'

Asked which measurement it will spell for him against Madrimov, Crawford did not hesitate: 'I'm good.'

Besides, nan ringing rust isn't wholly his fault.

Crawford wanted to person a busier 2024, but contempt a lengthy back-and-forth pinch Spence's team, a rematch ne'er came to fruition.

'I would person liked to beryllium busier anterior to this, but stipulations happened pinch nan statement pinch maine and Spence that led maine to nary being capable to beryllium arsenic engaged arsenic I would for illustration to be,' Crawford said. 'But, you cognize nan early is agleam and looking guardant to being busier.'

As always, Crawford remains diligent pinch a business that tin sometimes consciousness for illustration an unregulated achromatic market. But moreover though he describes himself arsenic a 'victim' of nan manufacture – personification who has sued erstwhile promoter Top Rank and who believes he has been passed complete for awesome bouts successful nan past – Crawford isn't fresh to telephone it quits.

He's excited astir his ascent to ace welterweight, saying location are 'a batch of fighters moving up from 147 to 154,' which is making nan section much competitive.

At nan aforesaid time, 'there's not a batch of champions,' he says, making nan section 1 of nan much wide unfastened successful boxing.

Asked if he needs to beryllium stopped successful nan ringing earlier he considers retirement, Crawford demurred.

'Of people I can't container forever,' he said. 'Time will beryllium [tell], ya know?'

Crawford said he hasn't discussed nan determination pinch family yet, and arsenic for his six children, well, they're not fresh for him beryllium a stay-at-home dada conscionable yet.

'My kids,' he said, 'they deliberation I'm gonna container until I'm 100.'

That whitethorn beryllium a stretch. But pinch nan anticipation of becoming a champion successful a 4th section (he's already held titles astatine 135 pounds, 140 and 147), not to mention a chance astatine a lucrative bout pinch Canelo, nan Omaha autochthonal still wants to adhd a fewer things to his resume.