Boxing

Former Champ Picks Floyd Mayweather vs Terence Crawford Dream Fight Winner

Former champion answers who would have won if Terence Crawford and Floyd Mayweather fought.
Apratim Banerjee|
IMAGO / AFLOSPORT

Terence Crawford is perhaps the closest thing to Floyd Mayweather in terms of fighting style among today's boxers. Both are defensively sound; however, Crawford is more of a knockout threat, as statistics show.

Like Mayweather, 'Bud' is undefeated with a 41-0-0 record, boasting 31 knockout wins. Mayweather retired 50-0-0 with 27 stoppage wins.

One might wonder who would've won if the pair crossed paths inside the squared circle, and former IBF lightweight champion Paul Spadafora has answered. He notably sparred Mayweather during the latter's 'Pretty Boy Floyd' career phase.

Floyd Mayweather
IMAGO / AFLOSPORT

Spadafora has nothing but high praise for Terence Crawford. However, he thinks Mayweather's IQ was something exceptional and believes that would have gotten the job done against 'Bud'. Speaking on The Porterway Podcast, Spadafora said:

That's an amazing fight. I mean, Floyd's IQ is unbelievable. Are we talking about 'Pretty Boy' or 'Money' (Mayweather)?

When told 'Pretty Boy Floyd', the version he sparred, Spadafora backed Mayweather, saying:

I have to go with 'Pretty Boy' on that.

Spadafora further recalled his sparring session with Floyd Mayweather, claiming he should have avoided it as it potentially took away his chance of having an actual fight against Mayweather.

Watch the comments at 1:04:52 mark

Terence Crawford, meanwhile, has always been respectful of Floyd Mayweather and has named him as one of his boxing heroes.

Crawford might take a page or two from Mayweather's book in his upcoming fight against Canelo Alvarez on September 13. Mayweather famously took a 23-year-old Canelo's undefeated record back in 2013, and now 'Bud' is putting his undefeated status on the line against the great Canelo.

MORE: Canelo Alvarez Humbles Floyd Mayweather With Terence Crawford Comparison

While Alvarez doesn't have any notable weakness, he has had issues with boxers who have amazing movement. Dmitry Bivol also capitalized on that, being the only other man to beat the Mexican other than Mayweather.

Terence Crawford, though, is moving up two weight classes, meaning it's important for him to avoid taking a big shot from Canelo. That said, like Mayweather and Bivol, Crawford is an incredible boxer with great movement. Will he get the job done? The questions will be answered in September. The superfight takes place at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

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Apratim Banerjee
APRATIM BANERJEE

Apratim is a Boxing and Soccer reporter for On SI. He has been in the industry for five years, having also worked for The Sporting News, Sportskeeda, EssentiallySports, and more. After coming from an engineering background, he started pursuing a career in sports media. Apratim also holds an MSc. Sport Marketing degree from Loughborough University London and is a keen practitioner of social media and digital marketing. In his spare time, Apratim likes to play an array of sports and practice calisthenics. He is also an avid enthusiast of improving his martial arts skills.