Promoter Bob Arum has doubled down on claims he is losing money on undefeated WBO welterweight champion Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford 37-0 (28).
The Top Rank boss was critical of Crawford in the wake of his fourth-round knockout of Kell Brook in Las Vegas last Saturday, saying the 33-year-old from Omaha, Nebraska needed to do more to raise his profile in order to be considered a viable investment.
“He’s got to promote like [undisputed lightweight champion Teofimo] Lopez does. He’s got to promote like Shakur [Stevenson] does… like [Floyd] Mayweather did, like [Manny] Pacquiao did,” Arum said to The Athletic’s Lance Pugmire.
“If he doesn’t, then who the fuck needs him? He may be the greatest fighter in the world, but, hey, I ain’t going bankrupt promoting him.
“The question is, ‘Do we want to keep him?’ I could build a house in Beverly Hills on the money I’ve lost on him in the last three fights, a beautiful home.
“Nobody questions Crawford’s innate, tremendous ability. By beating a naturally bigger guy [in Kell Brook], decisively, that’s a big statement that’s he’s making. The question is, ‘Does he pay the bills?’ Look, you can have the greatest opera singer in the world. If the fans don’t support it, you’re out of business.”
Arum said he could care less that Crawford’s team was less than appreciative of his comments.
“I don’t give a shit if got mad at me. This business is not about getting mad. What’d I say that was wrong? This business is about facts and the reality of the situation,” he said.
“I’ll show him how much we’ve lost on his fights… I’m no longer in the business of losing money on Terence Crawford. If we did this fight with [unified welterweight champion Errol] Spence and put our money in for half, and Crawford wins and [Al] Haymon wants to sign him, be my guest, for Christ’s sake.
“In other words, I am not going to go into my pocket anymore for Terence Crawford.
“I don’t have to make a lot of money with him on this [the Errol Spence fight], but I know I’ll break even or make a couple of dollars. I’m no longer in the business of losing money on Terence Crawford.”
Rival promoter Eddie Hearn from Matchroom Boxing said he thought Arum could have handled the situation better.
“I thought it was so disrespectful to Terence Crawford, to be honest with you,” Hearn said on The Ak & Barak Show.
“I mean you got this guy here, who is pound-for-pound one of the best fighters in the world. As far as I’m concerned, that relationship is over. You can see by that interview, that relationship is over. I believe his contract is up in October, or something like that.
“I don’t blame Bob because he’s too old to tell lies. He doesn’t care. He just don’t care. I just feel like… I don’t think what Terence Crawford is doing… does he need to do more media? Does he need to be more controversial?”
“For me, you have to build on a foundation that you have when you’re building a fighter. So let’s look at the foundations of Terence Crawford. He’s an absolute superstar in Omaha. He’s actually a lot of fun. Very funny, very cheeky and he has a very dry sense of humour.
“He’s an unbelievable athlete, he’s a very, very strong family man and he’s a very good role model. He’s an absolute boxing expert. He knows about all fighters. He’s probably a historian.
“I’m just telling you as a Brit and as we’re finding out maybe it’s a little different in the US. But, for me this guy has it all.
“Show me a weakness in Terence Crawford. ‘Oh, he doesn’t do as many media interviews as we’d like.’ Okay, that can be worked on. That’s about personal relationship and trust to make sure your fighter does the right thing.”
