Crawford’s Mount Rushmore Test: Benavidez Or Bivol

Roy Jones Jr. says if Terence Crawford doesn’t fight a rematch with Canelo Alvarez next, he’d like to see him move down to 160 to capture a world title and then retire.

Down Isn’t the Direction of Legends

Moving down to middleweight would give the 38-year-old Crawford (42-0, 31 KOs) the chance to become a six-division world champion. It would be a move to cement his legacy, but it wouldn’t necessarily enhance it that much.

The three champions at 160 are viewed as weak and flawed. What was once a great division during the time of Gennadiy Golovkin and a prime Canelo is now seen as one of the poorest in boxing.

So, if Crawford does move down to 160 to capture a title, it won’t give him the same legacy boost as it would if he stayed at 168 or moved up to 175 to challenge himself against David Benavidez or Dmitry Bivol.

The Weak Thrones of Middleweight

Janibek Alimkhanuly – IBF and WBO
Carlos Adames – WBC
Erislandy Lara – WBA

The Mount Rushmore Standard

If Crawford really wanted to put himself among the Mount Rushmore of boxing to follow in the footsteps of ‘The Big Four’ all-time greats, like Sugar Ray Robinson, Muhammad Ali, Henry Armstrong, and Joe Louis, he’d move up to 175 to face Benavidez or Bivol. Those are the type of moves that the above greats would have made if they were fighting.

The problem is, Crawford hasn’t shown the same mindset as the top fighters on the Mount Rushmore of boxing. He doesn’t have the same ambition, willingness to walk through fire, or even the work ethic to stay active to have a seat among the all-time greats. Crawford only fights once a year. Sugar Ray Robinson fought 201 times as a pro. Armstrong had 183 fights.

“I think he may want to go get a middleweight title because he skipped over that. He went from junior middleweight to super middleweight. So, he may go capture a middleweight title to close the gap,” said Roy Jones Jr. to Boxing News about what Terence Crawford should do next. “I think he does that and that’s it.”

Will Crawford Rise—or Retreat?

It won’t do much for Crawford’s legacy to move down to middleweight, as the boxing public doesn’t rate the champions Janibek, Adames, and Lara highly. None of them are discussed much by casual or hardcore boxing fans. They’re invisible. What would matter for Crawford is to have a mind transplant, think like Sugar Ray Robinson and Henry Armstrong, and move up to 175 to face these apex predators:

Dmitry Bivol
David Benavidez
Artur Beterbiev
David Morrell

If there was a way of transplanting the minds of Sugar Ray, Armstrong, or Ali into Crawford’s head to give him the courageto face the above talents, only then could he become one of the all-time greats on the Mount Rushmore of boxing.

“I think they’re trying to have a rematch,” said Roy Jr. when asked where Canelo Alvarez goes from here after his loss to Crawford. “I don’t think so, no,” said Jones Jr. about whether Canelo would win a rematch with Crawford.

It’s evident to fans that Crawford is holding onto his undisputed 168-lb title in hopes that Canelo will ask for a rematch so that he can get another huge payday in a second fight with the Mexican star. Crawford reportedly made $50 million for his fight with Canelo on September 13, 2025.

Bud’s coach, Bernie Davis, has already said his asking price for the rematch with Canelo is $100 million. Crawford will use his narrow 12-round unanimous decision win over Alvarez as leverage to try to get a better deal if there are rematch negotiations.

A second fight won’t do anything to enhance Crawford’s legacy, as the 35-year-old Canelo is viewed as washed up by knowledgeable fans. If Crawford is going to defend his undisputed super middleweight championship, a more meaningful fight would be against these younger, stronger, and bigger fighters at 168:

Christian Mbili
Lester Martinez – *assisted Crawford with sparring for Canelo
Osleys Iglesias