Philippines, 30 Jun 2025
  Home >> News

 


BOXERS

CURRENT CHAMPIONS 

FORMER CHAMPIONS   

RATINGS                       

NEWS           

FORUM        

FIGHT GALLERIES        

RING CARD GIRLS        


 
 
News  


Victory over Brook Underscores Urgency of Pac-Crawford Fight


PhilBoxing.com





While many sports scribes hailed Terrence Crawford's 4th round technical knockout victory over Kell Brook as another feather in his cap as an elite champion and a top pound for pound fighter, the American WBO welterweight champion and his promoter Bob Arum seemed unconvinced.

And it is not hard to see why.

For in beating the UK former WBA titlist, Crawford added another opponent in his list of victims who had prominence but not necessarily the resume to rightfully justify his claim as the best or at the very least among the best pound for pound boxers in the world today.

Brook had been defeated twice before, also by stoppage by Gennady Golovkin and Errol Spence, both of whom are also in the pound for pound ranking though Crawford only took as much time as then middleweight king Golovkin in dismantling the formerly highly touted Briton.

Of the fighters he faced and defeated on the way to his current lofty ranking, only his TKO win over then undefeated Cuban sensation Yuriorkis Gamboa in the lightweights could be considered as valid and legit. But Gamboa has since been also decisively beaten by Robinson Castellanos and Gervonta Tank Davis, both by knockout and recently on points by the rising Devin Haney at 135.

Crawford went on to unify the titles at super lightweight and win the WBO welterweight crown but none of the fighters he fought and beat were of pound for pound caliber, not Viktor Postol or even Jeff Horn, the last man to arguably beat Manny Pacquiao in 2017.

Crawford has now defended his WBO crown, which Pacquiao had held thrice before, six times but none of his title opponents had the proper credentials, including another faded Briton, Amir Khan whom he also stopped.


Crawford tear apart Brook in the four rounds Saturday in Las Vegas.

Hence, the question lingered about his claim as the best welterweight and among the top pound for pound fighters today.

This has prompted both Crawford and his promoter Arum to immediately after the Brook fight to declare that they are going all out to get either Spence or Pacquiao in the ring as early as April next year.

Though Crawford would have no problem facing either man in title unification, Arum has openly declared preference for a fight versus Pacquiao, the WBA welterweight super champion.

Arum acknowledges that the Pacquiao fight would be the bigger fight in terms of both revenue and historical significance, though the Filipino legend trailed both Crawford and Spence in the current overall welterweight and is out of the pound for pound rankings.

To many people though Pacquiao remains the legit top pound for pound fighter of the world following the retirement of Floyd Mayweather albeit his disputed loss to Horn. He has bounced back from the Australian robbery of a loss and earlier defeat to Floyd with wins over Lucas Matthysse, Adrian Broner and erstwhile unbeaten and leading welterweight titlist Keith Thurman.

Truth to tell, Pacquiao who was neck to neck with the now retired Floyd Mayweather in the pound for pound ranking for much of the past decade was only out of the pound for pound ranking because of the recent decisions of the Ring Magazine and other rating bodies to totally overhaul their lists almost without regard to lineage and age old criteria.


Pacquiao drops Thurman.

Only Canelo Alvarez who is also a remnant of the Floyd-Manny era deserves his spot in the current pound for pound ranking with wins over fellow P4P entrants Golovkin and Sergei Kovalev. Most others on the list got their spots by fiat or mere perception of their superiority.

The onus on Arum to make either fight is borne also of the fact that Crawford is also not getting any younger and that his contract with Top Rank is nearing its end. His failure to get either Spence or Pacquiao may trigger his prized ward to leave Top Rank.

The Hall of Fame promoter said he is confident of finally sealing a Crawford fight versus Pacquiao next year, intimating that a Middle East country was near to hosting and bankrolling that fight if only the Covid 19 pandemic did not get in the way.

We will see.

The author Teodoro Medina Reynoso is a veteran boxing radio talk show host living in the Philippines. He can be reached at teddyreynoso@yahoo.com and by phone 09215309477.


Click here to view a list of other articles written by Teodoro Medina Reynoso.


Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:

  • FULL CIRCLE AT WILD CARD: Jhay Otamias’ Tribute to a Fighter and a Fanbase
    By Emmanuel Rivera, RRT, , Mon, 30 Jun 2025
  • Vince Paras Wins by 4th Round KO Over Sarawut Thawornkham to Capture the IBF Pan Pacific Super Flyweight Title
    , Mon, 30 Jun 2025
  • Team USA's Quest for Gold Set in Stone at World Boxing Cup: Astana 2025
    , Mon, 30 Jun 2025
  • SBA SEASON 2 DRAFT UNVEILS RISING STARS AND STRATEGIC MOVES AS TEAMS COMPLETE THEIR ROSTERS
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Mon, 30 Jun 2025
  • Filipino Elwin Retanal wins Saudi rapid chess meet
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Mon, 30 Jun 2025
  • Jake Paul Earns Boxing Legitimacy with Dominant Decision Over Julio Cesar Chávez Jr.
    By Dong Secuya, , Sun, 29 Jun 2025
  • Zurdo Ramirez Defends Cruiserweight Crowns with Unanimous Decision Over Dorticos
    By Dong Secuya, , Sun, 29 Jun 2025
  • Vince Paras Faces Sarawut Thawornkham Today at Venue 88 in Gensan
    , Sun, 29 Jun 2025
  • USA Elite High Performance Team Sets Sights on Gold at World Boxing Cup: Astana 2025
    , Sun, 29 Jun 2025
  • Alekhine Nouri bags silver in blitz
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Sun, 29 Jun 2025
  • Paul vs. Chavez Jr: Can Julio Derail Jake Paul?
    By Chris Carlson, , Sat, 28 Jun 2025
  • Dr. KO: Christian Mbilli Stops Maciej Sulecki in 1
    , Sat, 28 Jun 2025
  • GOLDEN BOY SIGNS UNDEFEATED MIDDLEWEIGHT BLUE-CHIP PROSPECT AMARI JONES
    , Sat, 28 Jun 2025
  • Paul vs. Chávez Jr. is a Go: All Fighters Make Weight in Anaheim Ahead of High-Stakes Bout
    , Sat, 28 Jun 2025
  • IIEE Chessmasters Overall Champion in the International Bundesliga with GM Joey Antonio
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Sat, 28 Jun 2025
  • Kittipong of Thailand Battles Bhavesh of India in Brico Santig's Exciting Show in Bangkok
    By Carlos Costa, , Sat, 28 Jun 2025
  • Weights from Philadelphia
    , Sat, 28 Jun 2025
  • Alekhine Nouri and John Jerish Velarde struck gold and bronze
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Sat, 28 Jun 2025
  • Would OKC Still Win the West If Dallas Had Not Traded Doncic?
    By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, , Fri, 27 Jun 2025
  • Asenso Ozamis Open chess tournament on July 12 and 13
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Fri, 27 Jun 2025
  • MOST VALUABLE PROMOTIONS’ JAKE PAUL VS. JULIO CESAR CHAVEZ JR. PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES
    , Fri, 27 Jun 2025
  • Guro Dan Inosanto: Guardian of the Filipino Fighting Spirit
    By Emmanuel Rivera, RRT, , Fri, 27 Jun 2025
  • Weigh-In Results: Christian Mbilili vs. Maciej Sulecki
    , Fri, 27 Jun 2025
  • Unbeaten Philippines Top Prospect Criztian Pitt Laurente Signs with Sanman Boxing
    , Fri, 27 Jun 2025
  • SALITA PROMOTIONS SIGNS PROMISING AMERICAN HEAVYWEIGHT SARDIUS SIMMONS
    , Fri, 27 Jun 2025




  •  



     
    PhilBoxing.com has been created to support every aspiring
    Filipino boxer and the Philippine boxing scene in general.
    Please send comments to feedback@philboxing.com


    PRIVATE POLICY | LEGAL DISCLAIMER
    developed and maintained by dong secuya
    © 2025 philboxing.com.