Boxing

Terence Crawford Makes Optimistic Manny Pacquiao Fight Prediction

Terence Crawford doesn't see the Manny Pacquiao vs. Mario Barrios fight playing out like everyone else.

Grant Young

Terence Crawford during a July 27, 2023 press conference.
Terence Crawford during a July 27, 2023 press conference. / IMAGO / Hoganphotos

The two biggest boxing fights that are scheduled for the rest of 2025 are the mid-September showdown between Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford for the Ring, WBA, WBC, IBF, and WBO super-middleweight world titles, and the July 19 fight between Manny Pacquiao and Mario Barrios for the WBC welterweight belt.

The narratives heading into these two fights are quite different, but both centered around something unchangeable that doesn't directly relate to skill inside the ring.

For Canelo vs. Crawford, the narrative is around the massive jump in weight that Crawford is making in order to fight Canelo. For Pacquiao vs. Barrios, it's Pacquiao being 46-years-old and 16 years older than his adversary.

This has meant that much discussion has centered on physical traits rather than boxing abilities, with Crawford and Pacquiao typically seen as those at a disadvantage.

However, just as Crawford is surely confident in his chances against Canelo, he also believes that Pacquiao has more of a chance than many are asserting. This was made clear when Crawford was asked about Pacquiao coming out of retirement to fight Barrios during a May 27 interview with Sporting News Australia.

“Mario Barrios is a great match-up for Manny Pacquiao. And I think at this age, it’s a 50-50 fight for Manny Pacquiao," Crawford said.

Many within the boxing community aren't giving Pacquiao any chance to beat the much younger Barrios, let alone saying the fight is 50-50 for either guy.

Perhaps Pacquiao securing an upset victory over Barrios will give Crawford his own motivation as he begins preparing for the fight of his life against Canelo.

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Grant Young
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Grant Young covers Boxing, Women’s Basketball, and the New York Mets for On SI. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco, where he also played Division 1 baseball for five years, and he thinks it’s time that Canelo Álvarez fights David Benavidez.