For the most part, the resume of Terence Crawford, at least according to Keith Thurman, has always been widely unimpressive.

Since abandoning his undisputed throne at 140 pounds, Crawford (39-0, 30 KOs) has been lambasted for the level of opposition he’s faced up until this point. While he did strip Jeff Horn of his championship status in 2018, Crawford’s opponent selection has been filled with either nondescript names or long-faded former champions.

By and large, Crawford’s most dangerous foe and to a large extent, proudest moment in the welterweight division, came in 2021. In what amounted to his lone appearance of the year, the now 35-year-old took on former two-time welterweight champion, Shawn Porter.

Thurman, like most of the boxing world, eagerly tuned in to see how things would play out. Ultimately, while he enjoyed moments of success, Porter’s uncharacteristically myopic style of attack led to his downfall as he would be ushered into retirement via 10th-round stoppage. With another title defense notched underneath his belt just one year later, this time against David Avanesyan, fans have continued to chastise his welterweight resume.

Thurman, in the meanwhile, has attempted to goad Crawford into a showdown against him. But, in what’s been a frustrating theme for the latter portion of the former unified champions career, inactivity has plagued him. When last seen, the Clearwater, Florida, resident cruised to a unanimous decision victory against Mario Barrios in February of 2022.

Tenuous resume aside, Thurman (30-1, 22 KOs) believes that Crawford’s lofty stature amongst boxing’s elite could benefit greatly from facing him. Of course, behind the scenes, the Omaha, Nebraska, native is hoping that contract negotiations with Errol Spence Jr. will eventually be finalized, leading to an undisputed clash in the second half of the year.

No matter which route the pound-for-pound star chooses to go down, Thurman is adamant that if Crawford wants the respect he truly deserves, only two fighters should be firmly on his radar.

“Yea you beat Shawn,” said Thurman to ESNEWS recently. “But you want to be fully acknowledged? You need to take out a Keith Thurman, you need to take out an Errol Spence Jr.”