Crawford is in nowhere land

The question is though will Fundora take it? I can totally see him dropping WBO to go the Spence route while WBO becomes some crummy vacant belt BS. Best case is even if Bud gets WBO and after Spence wins WBC there will still be no rematch until Crawford retires. Of course Tszyu could've done the same had he won, but I thought he had a better chance than Fundora to actually take on Bud first. I think he will. The way he accepted the Tszyu fight. He already said in interviews he would take it if it was offered because he knows Crawford is the best and that's what he wants. He will not win it, but he's not scared.

Crawfish is the most overrated fighter in the last 20 years. he has beat no one. None

Why does TC need to do boxing a favor? As you said, he was on the outside looking in. And he would also be "doing boxing a favor" by testing himself in a new division. Boots is largely an untested contender, just like the rest of them, BECAUSE they aren't fighting each other. There's 12 guys that have been ranked in the top 10, and I'm not even including Spence, or Porter, or Bud, that he hasn't even tried to fight. He was the one who signed with that small promoter instead of to PBC, even though he still fought primarily on PBC cards, just as Bud stayed with Top Rank. So what if Bud beats him? You know as well as I do that Boots would turn into a hypejob who failed when he stepped up, and Bud would get no credit BECAUSE BOOTS HAS NO RESUME. He's not a money fight BECAUSE HE HAS NO RESUME. He's got zero casual appeal because he's been acting like a primadonna, demanding to be a main event fighter, sitting out when he could be fighting on the undercard of big fights. Chump didn't even show to Spence v Crawford, let alone fight on the card. If he wanted that smoke, why wasn't he there to challenge? If anything, boxing owes Bud the money fights he was denied for so long. Ennis is part of a new era, and he needs to build his own name. Bud doesn't gain squat for his resume beating him, because he's not developed into a real threat. When there's nearly 20 other guys in the division who are ranked that he hasn't fought, he doesn't mean anything. Certainly less than a REAL champ a division up. He's not challenging his own division, let alone trying to set himself up at 154, 160, or 168. He's not even taking on Barrios, Teo, Haney, etc. He does not deserve a Bud fight, and certainly not for the WBO. We will see what he does in the next year. Based on his history, I'm expecting him to turn into a 147lb version of Tank Davis. This is the part that has me worried about his future. I think Ennis may be avoided by some, but I don't know if he's doing himself any favors either. I know some fans are against Conor Benn for his drug test fiasco, but I found it alarming when Bozy dismissed Benn as a potential opponent.....and it made me start wondering, "Are there any other opponents that Team Ennis has dismissed for whatever reason?" That affected my interpretation of Team Ennis' lawsuit against his former promoter. He blamed NOW Boxing for not keeping him active enough....but if Bozy was willing to dismiss Benn, how can they complain about inactivity? Now there seems to be an issue with getting Crowley in the ring. He's getting close to a year's worth of inactivity. A boxer cannot rely on the "Boogeyman" tag forever. Ultimately, the resume will have to speak for itself. I may have fallen victim to the 'eye test' in regards to Ennis because I find him entertaining, but I'm noticing the red flags. It's extremely difficult to become a fan of someone who's having a stop-start career. He's on his way to becoming Andrade. He won't be 26 forever.

The bottom line is that Crawford COULD and SHOULD have fought Boots because Boots was interim which made him mandatory AND he could have. The rematch clause didn't block Crawford from fighting Boots, but after Boots defended the interim against Villa, it forced Crawford's hand. More nonsense from and lies from Leicesterage... Ennis was interim for SPENCE not Bud. Spence is the one who didn't defend his interim. He had 5 months after becoming interim to petition for his shot before Bud v Spence entered negotiations. He didn't do that. Spence only defended his IBF belt one time in 4 years. That is the ONLY reason Boots was even in the picture at all. Because SPENCE, not Bud, didn't fulfill his obligations and "sat on the belt." And Leicesterage was strangely silent about that.

Fundora isn't managed by Haymon, he's managed by SL. SL has the final say Yeah right Lmfao

Defending the throne would be TC's way of doing Boxing a favor. Why does TC need to do boxing a favor? As you said, he was on the outside looking in. And he would also be "doing boxing a favor" by testing himself in a new division. Boots is largely an untested contender, just like the rest of them, BECAUSE they aren't fighting each other. There's 12 guys that have been ranked in the top 10, and I'm not even including Spence, or Porter, or Bud, that he hasn't even tried to fight. He was the one who signed with that small promoter instead of to PBC, even though he still fought primarily on PBC cards, just as Bud stayed with Top Rank. So what if Bud beats him? You know as well as I do that Boots would turn into a hypejob who failed when he stepped up, and Bud would get no credit BECAUSE BOOTS HAS NO RESUME. He's not a money fight BECAUSE HE HAS NO RESUME. He's got zero casual appeal because he's been acting like a primadonna, demanding to be a main event fighter, sitting out when he could be fighting on the undercard of big fights. Chump didn't even show to Spence v Crawford, let alone fight on the card. If he wanted that smoke, why wasn't he there to challenge? If anything, boxing owes Bud the money fights he was denied for so long. Ennis is part of a new era, and he needs to build his own name. Bud doesn't gain squat for his resume beating him, because he's not developed into a real threat. When there's nearly 20 other guys in the division who are ranked that he hasn't fought, he doesn't mean anything. Certainly less than a REAL champ a division up. He's not challenging his own division, let alone trying to set himself up at 154, 160, or 168. He's not even taking on Barrios, Teo, Haney, etc. He does not deserve a Bud fight, and certainly not for the WBO. We will see what he does in the next year. Based on his history, I'm expecting him to turn into a 147lb version of Tank Davis.

Shawn Porter (who was most closely associated with the IBF title) breaks down the BUSINESS of boxing perfectly, for those that don't understand. The bottom line is that Crawford COULD and SHOULD have fought Boots because Boots was interim which made him mandatory AND he could have. The rematch clause didn't block Crawford from fighting Boots, but after Boots defended the interim against Villa, it forced Crawford's hand. The goal is to keep the titles on TV no matter what; and if you're sitting idle, you're not doing that. Which is why it's a joke that Keef was allowed to sit on WBA for so long, why both Charlos have been sitting inactive, etc. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LgmJl8kFQE I don't have any venom for the IBF stripping TC. I used to think they took a long time to enforce a mandatory, but that's water under the bridge. Ennis has had the interim title since July 2023, was upgraded in November.....and doesn't have a fight lined up. Last we heard, there was trouble with Ennis/Crowley. We also don't know if Ennis has entered into a new promotional deal with any notable entity. So much for wanting to keep the title on TV.

This is very much like saying Mayweather needed to defend his throne against Bud and Spence. His last "fight" vs McGregor took place in 2017, and the one vs Berto was 2015. Bud got the WBO belt in 2018 and Spence got the IBF in 2017. Very similar timing to Ennis. Was Mayweather's legacy forever damaged by not fighting them? Ennis should be carving out his own legacy. He's 10 years younger than Crawford, just as Crawford was 10 years younger than Floyd. Bud has beaten the guys he needed to from his era. Ennis represents a new era, and if he wants to fight Bud, he should have put the work in fighting the rest of the guys from his era. He's fought a faded Lipinets, and Roiman Villa? No Stanionis, no Ortiz Jr, no Crowley, no Butaev, no "Eggs" Benn, nor the older guys like Thurman, Avanesyan, Ugas. No Santillan, Giyasov, Rocha, Kavaliauskus. At this point, he's only an email champ and jumped up contender. He doesn't fill stadiums or sell PPV's. His hype is based on eye test, not resume. Bud, at least, was undisputed champion at 140 when Mayweather was on the way out. That's a much better claim to fighting the king than Lipinets and Villa, and still would have come in a pale second to the massive PPV that was McGregor v Mayweather. Also, Ennis isn't the WBO mandatory and has nothing to do with that belt. In fact, he chose to avoid the WBO route that led to Bud and go for IBF instead, which wasn't getting defended regularly by Spence. If you think Bud needs to vacate the WBO belt, it would be for Santillan, which hasn't even been ordered yet. And GTFO with that nonsense. Champs are allowed to keep their belts until their mandatory has been ordered, at which point they have to fight or vacate. That's not happened yet. You should be way more concerned with the likes of Canelo, Jermall Charlo, Tank Davis, and Tyson Fury. I agree that Ennis' resume leaves a lot to be desired, and he has to bear some responsibility...but certain things are working against him. He was partnered with a small promotional outfit, connected to a network that was prioritizing their relationship with PBC over everything else. Ennis has been on the outside looking in, just like Crawford was. The most obvious match-up was Danny Garcia in Philly, but it didn't materialize. Ennis is clearly high-risk/low-reward. Of all the contenders, he may have the worst risk:reward ratio. Now that Ennis is a free agent, we're going to see if Ennis' career turns into something worth remembering, or if he turns into an inactive hype-job. If TC has no intention of staying at 147 any longer, he should relinquish the WBO title. I'm perfectly fine with his moving to 154. If the WBO is allowing him to hold on to the WW title, it must be for a reason. I did neglect to mention Santillan (WBO #1), and I wouldn't mind that bout. But I can't imagine TC working with TR in the near future. Santillan should have the most buzz of all the contenders after beating Rocha. I mentioned Ennis because he's the guy with the buzz and he technically has the IBF title; I would've mentioned Vergil Ortiz too, but he's no longer at 147lb. I'd like to see TC defend the Undisputed throne at least once, just like I wanted Jermell to do. Santillan or Ennis, both are formidable. If he could face the winner of Ennis/Santillan, even better. Defending the throne would be TC's way of doing Boxing a favor.

That era is over, and TC ended it emphatically. I would like to see TC defend the throne against Ennis, in order to begin a new chapter. But if he's not going to do that, he needs to let that WBO title go. This is very much like saying Mayweather needed to defend his throne against Bud and Spence. His last "fight" vs McGregor took place in 2017, and the one vs Berto was 2015. Bud got the WBO belt in 2018 and Spence got the IBF in 2017. Very similar timing to Ennis. Was Mayweather's legacy forever damaged by not fighting them? Ennis should be carving out his own legacy. He's 10 years younger than Crawford, just as Crawford was 10 years younger than Floyd. Bud has beaten the guys he needed to from his era. Ennis represents a new era, and if he wants to fight Bud, he should have put the work in fighting the rest of the guys from his era. He's fought a faded Lipinets, and Roiman Villa? No Stanionis, no Ortiz Jr, no Crowley, no Butaev, no "Eggs" Benn, nor the older guys like Thurman, Avanesyan, Ugas. No Santillan, Giyasov, Rocha, Kavaliauskus. At this point, he's only an email champ and jumped up contender. He doesn't fill stadiums or sell PPV's. His hype is based on eye test, not resume. Bud, at least, was undisputed champion at 140 when Mayweather was on the way out. That's a much better claim to fighting the king than Lipinets and Villa, and still would have come in a pale second to the massive PPV that was McGregor v Mayweather. Also, Ennis isn't the WBO mandatory and has nothing to do with that belt. In fact, he chose to avoid the WBO route that led to Bud and go for IBF instead, which wasn't getting defended regularly by Spence. If you think Bud needs to vacate the WBO belt, it would be for Santillan, which hasn't even been ordered yet. And GTFO with that nonsense. Champs are allowed to keep their belts until their mandatory has been ordered, at which point they have to fight or vacate. That's not happened yet. You should be way more concerned with the likes of Canelo, Jermall Charlo, Tank Davis, and Tyson Fury.

Bud should fight Danny Garcia as a stay busy fight at 154 before challenging for the WBO title there or maybe challenge Lara for his middleweight title.

Spence supposedly had eye surgery. That was the point the TC had to move on and like you mentioned the rematch didn't look profitable because the one sided beating that Spence took. TC has had a history of not had fought the names that matter because of negotiations or promoters disputes. A waste of talent if you ask me. While his contemporaries were getting injured, becoming complacent, and not living the lifestyle of an elite athlete....TC stayed disciplined and stayed 100% ready until the big moment arrived. He didn't fall apart when the Pac fight fell through. The final chapter of the previous era of WWs will say that TC was the last man standing, with an image of him holding all of the titles. Porter fought prime versions of Brook and TC, while guys like Thurman and Danny Garcia played the background. When Brook couldn't get a PBC opponent, he got desperate and foolishly fought GGG. Once Brook became vulnerable...then PBC was willing to send someone over. That era is over, and TC ended it emphatically. I would like to see TC defend the throne against Ennis, in order to begin a new chapter. But if he's not going to do that, he needs to let that WBO title go.

In February, two things seemed to have occurred: TC officially became free of his rematch obligation and he officially requested for the WBO to make him mandatory for the 154lb title. As soon as TC was allowed to make a move, he did so. I think it looks like TC was dragging his feet only because he was tethered to Spence. It was ultimately Spence's responsibility to let TC know that he could move on. TC is using the sanctioning body method of getting a title shot, while Spence is looking to use his promotional relationship to get one. Fundora should either be facing TC (if he keeps the WBO), Bohachuk (who became 'interim' titlist on the same card) or Tszyu (if he wants to honor the verbal rematch agreement). If Spence/Crawford was a competitive contest, maybe I'd feel different. But the beat-down was so comprehensive that his team allowed the rematch clause to expire. How is that same boxer allowed to jump the line at a new weight? It's not like Spence let the rematch clause expire, then immediately moved up and started fighting contenders. He's been inactive just like TC. Spence should be fighting someone like Lubin in order to reestablish himself. Spence supposedly had eye surgery. That was the point the TC had to move on and like you mentioned the rematch didn't look profitable because the one sided beating that Spence took. TC has had a history of not had fought the names that matter because of negotiations or promoters disputes. A waste of talent if you ask me.

That I know but the minute Spence said that he was injured or wanted it at 154 he should have started to make moves. There was never a solid response from Crawford. Now you got Spence trying to get a Fudora fight under the PBC umbrella. In February, two things seemed to have occurred: TC officially became free of his rematch obligation and he officially requested for the WBO to make him mandatory for the 154lb title. As soon as TC was allowed to make a move, he did so. I think it looks like TC was dragging his feet only because he was tethered to Spence. It was ultimately Spence's responsibility to let TC know that he could move on. TC is using the sanctioning body method of getting a title shot, while Spence is looking to use his promotional relationship to get one. Fundora should either be facing TC (if he keeps the WBO), Bohachuk (who became 'interim' titlist on the same card) or Tszyu (if he wants to honor the verbal rematch agreement). If Spence/Crawford was a competitive contest, maybe I'd feel different. But the beat-down was so comprehensive that his team allowed the rematch clause to expire. How is that same boxer allowed to jump the line at a new weight? It's not like Spence let the rematch clause expire, then immediately moved up and started fighting contenders. He's been inactive just like TC. Spence should be fighting someone like Lubin in order to reestablish himself.

TC waited for Spence due to their rematch clause. Spence was the reason why the rematch didn't happen. This whole situation illustrates the existential struggle between Boxing as a business vs. a legitimate sport. The "Business" part of the equation normally wins out. That I know but the minute Spence said that he was injured or wanted it at 154 he should have started to make moves. There was never a solid response from Crawford. Now you got Spence trying to get a Fudora fight under the PBC umbrella.

No, it's not another topic. He's P4P #1 and you're an ignorant clown. This has already been established. By beating who?

Crawford instead of waiting around for Spence should had taken a fight and continue his momentum. Now that is lost and he is looking for a super fight that is not there. He is one of the best talents in the sport at the moment but people are not going to pay him what he think he is worth. Don't know why he doesn't take a fight and make some money instead of waiting around and getting nothing. What he wants might not happen, there are no guarantees. TC waited for Spence due to their rematch clause. Spence was the reason why the rematch didn't happen. This whole situation illustrates the existential struggle between Boxing as a business vs. a legitimate sport. The "Business" part of the equation normally wins out.

Crawford instead of waiting around for Spence should had taken a fight and continue his momentum. Now that is lost and he is looking for a super fight that is not there. He is one of the best talents in the sport at the moment but people are not going to pay him what he think he is worth. Don't know why he doesn't take a fight and make some money instead of waiting around and getting nothing. What he wants might not happen, there are no guarantees.

He may have had a higher guarantee but the real money for top fighters is in the PPV upside. His fights were largely on ESPN so he didn’t get a chance to make better fights and build his name up to the casual audience that would make him a bigger mainstream star. And of that PPV money the distributor takes 50% off the top. Then when you look at things like taxes and promotional costs that come out of that number and after paying the fighters that’s not much left over. When I see reports both fighters were guaranteed $25 million that math just doesn’t add up to a profitable fight for uncle Al. Haymon took a bath once but he wasn’t and couldn’t do the rematch which would have had lower interest but both guys would still have wanted top dollar. They didn't get a 25 million dollar guarantee. That's the first problem with your take. And doing 200k ppv at pbc ain't no upside. Wilder and broner both exposed not getting their ppv backside after years. If you're not doing 500k to 1 million ppvs. There is no upside

Lineal isn't all that IMO. The main claim to lineal being worthwhile is because, in theory, it's a better representation than the alphabet belts of who the top dog is in a division. But Inoue has taken on the best guys in the division in his divisional debut 3 times now, and he fully cleaned bantamweight and is in process of doing so at 122. The number of guys who have been able to clean out their divisions of all credible competitors isn't that big, let alone doing so in 2. If Chocolatito hadn't ducked him and ultimately kept all of Cuadras, Estrada, and SSR from taking on Inoue in doing so, he'd likely be 4 division lineal. But Choc swerved him, then lost, and Inoue got the opportunity to face McDonnell, and the rest is history. ​​​​​​ Yes, id say when ring mag rankings are updated inoue will be at the top..If they base it on what have you done lately. He's fought the best guys in division in his debut 3 times, and not taken 5 years to best Spence like bud did. Bud has stalled now, he's had his time in spotlight the shows over. ​​​​​

Inoue has to conquer a third division or at least rack up several more wins while Crawford is inactive. Becoming lineal king of 3 different weight divisions is the definition of pound for pound. Lineal isn't all that IMO. The main claim to lineal being worthwhile is because, in theory, it's a better representation than the alphabet belts of who the top dog is in a division. But Inoue has taken on the best guys in the division in his divisional debut 3 times now, and he fully cleaned bantamweight and is in process of doing so at 122. The number of guys who have been able to clean out their divisions of all credible competitors isn't that big, let alone doing so in 2. If Chocolatito hadn't ducked him and ultimately kept all of Cuadras, Estrada, and SSR from taking on Inoue in doing so, he'd likely be 4 division lineal. But Choc swerved him, then lost, and Inoue got the opportunity to face McDonnell, and the rest is history. ​​​​​​