Three Opponents Terence Crawford Could Fight Next

Terence Crawford now has his sights set on other fights after the rumored bout vs. Saul "Canelo" Alvarez fell through.

Terence Crawford looks on after winning his fight against Amir Khan during the WBO welterweight title fight at Madison Square Garden. / Sarah Stier-Imagn Images

The potential super fight that was Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford appears to be all but dead in the waters.

After The Ring reported earlier in the week that Canelo vs. Crawford was a done deal for September in Las Vegas at Allegiant Stadium, they reported on Wednesday night that the fight was off. A potential bout between Canelo (62-2-2, 39 KOs) and Crawford (41-0, 31KOs) would have been one of the biggest fights that could have been made in the sport.

The planned Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford fight is now OFF, The Ring has learned. pic.twitter.com/BtWrGN8MM1

— Ring Magazine (@ringmagazine) February 6, 2025

Instead, Canelo will seemingly set his sights on the circus that would be a bout against Jake Paul in May, leaving Crawford to figure out what's next. Crawford, who has the WBA junior middleweight title and is a two-time undisputed world champion, could opt for big fights or he could look to unify a third division.

Nevertheless, at 37 years old, time is winding down for the pound-for-pound great to figure out what's next.

Here are three opponents and one wild card who would all make compelling bouts against Crawford.

Vergil Ortiz

Vergil Ortiz Jr. (white trunks) and Mauricio Herrera (gray trunks) during their welterweight bout at T-Mobile Arena. Ortiz Jr. won via third round TKO. / Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

A potential bout against Crawford was one that Ortiz and his team had their sights set on when he was on the rise at welterweight.

Could a potential bout finally come to fruition at 154 pounds?

Ortiz (22-0, 21 KOs), 26, is coming off the best win of his career, a majority decision victory over Serhii Bohachuk, and has another huge fight lined up against former WBA junior middleweight champion Israil Madrimov on Feb. 22 in Saudi Arabia. Getting past Madrimov (10-1-1, 7 KOs) is far from a sure thing, as he pushed Crawford to the brink before losing the WBA belt in a unanimous decision loss to the pound-for-pound great on Aug. 3.

Ortiz's come-forward and relentless style would force Crawford to fight and make for an intriguing bout. Of all the potential options for Crawford, Ortiz could arguably be the most compelling matchup.

Sebastian Fundora

Tim Tsyzu (left) vs. Sebastian Fundora for the WBC and WBO junior middleweight championship on March 29 in Las Vegas. / IMAGO/Hoganphotos

Sebastian Fundora is quite literally a tall task for anyone.

"The Towering Inferno" became the WBC and WBO junior middleweight champion with a majority decision win over Tim Tsyzu on March 30 in one of the bloodiest fights you'll ever see. The 6-foot-6 junior middleweight had long been rumored to be fighting former unified welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr., but that bout never came to fruition.

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With Fundora (21-1-1, 13 KOs) still seeking his next opponent, a bout against Crawford is one of the biggest that could be made. If Crawford aims to become an undisputed champion again, Fundora's two belts would make him the most appealing choice.

Fundora's pressure style and 10-inch height advantage would present problems Crawford hasn't seen before, but a win for Bud would put him one fight away from inarguably cementing himself as an all-time great.

Bakhram Murtazaliev

Bakhram Murtazaliev (left) vs. Jack Culcay (right). / IMAGO/Torsten Helmke

Bakhram Murtazaliev entered his first title defense of the IBF belt against Tsyzu as an unheralded opponent. Many believed he was being served up for Tsyzu to win a belt to set up a rematch against Fundora for three of the four titles at junior middleweight.

Those plans were foiled rather quickly.

Murtazaliev (23-0, 17 KOs) pummelled Tsyzu, dropping him four times en route to winning by third-round stoppage and cementing himself as a dangerous opponent for anyone at junior middleweight.

Murtazaliev's height, reach and power make him a tricky opponent and his lack of star power could lead to him being avoided despite having one of the four major belts. One could argue Murtazaliev would be the toughest opponent for anyone at 154.

Crawford would face a lot of risk in a potential bout against Murtazaliev, but if he feels the reward is worth it and he wants to become an undisputed champion for a third time, a bout against the Russian may be next.

Wild Card: Jermell Charlo

Jermell Charlo holds all his belts after his 10th round knockout of Brian Castano to become the undisputed junior middleweight champion. / IMAGO/ZUMA Press Wire

Of all the fights that can be made for Crawford at 154 pounds, a bout against Charlo would be the biggest.

There's already bad blood between the two, as Crawford stopped Charlo's former stablemate, Spencer Jr., by ninth round stoppage. Even during the bout after Crawford dropped Spence Jr., he went over to Charlo to tell him that he was next.

Two undisputed champs jawing ringside 👀

ALL ACCESS: #SpenceCrawford epilogue tonight at 10:30PM ET on Showtime.@terencecrawford @TwinCharlo pic.twitter.com/yGp1TMkBY7

— All the Smoke Boxing (@atsboxing) August 5, 2023

Charlo is also the WBA champion in recess, which is the belt that Crawford currently has.

Charlo (35-2-1, 19 KOs) became the undisputed junior middleweight champion with his 10th-round stoppage victory over Brian Castano in the rematch on May 14, 2022. He last fought on Sept. 30, 2023, in a less than inspiring unanimous decision loss to Canelo.

If Charlo were to return to the ring and get a win, he'd quickly reassert himself as one of the top names in the junior middleweight division. And given the bad blood that they already have, a bout between Crawford and Charlo would become one of the biggest that could be made in boxing.

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