WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford, 32-years-old, hungers to return before the end of the year. 

Crawford has been out of the ring since last December.

The coronavirus pandemic has delayed his next defense.

As BoxingScene.com previously reported, former IBF champion Kell Brook is a potential opponent for a date in November in Las Vegas.

Crawford continues to train every day at his Omaha gym, with manager-trainer Brian “BoMac” McIntyre, who is also preparing WBO super featherweight champion Jamel Herring and unbeaten Steven Nelson for fights on Saturday night.

“I’ve been using this time for resting my body. I’m getting to spend more time with my kids and am just taking the good with the bad. I get in here and work out with the fighters that have fight dates. Normally, I’m running with them, doing strength and conditioning, sparring,” Crawford said to the Associated Press.

While Brook is an option, Crawford wants to get his hands on the welterweights under contract with Premier Boxing Champions - like Shawn Porter, WBC/IBF champion Errol Spence, Danny Garcia, Keith Thurman, and several others.

“It all comes down to money,” Crawford said. “If the money was put up, those fights would be made.”

Crawford won world titles in three weight classes, and unified the entire junior welterweight division.

Despite his accomplishments, there are critics who believe Crawford has yet to do enough in his career.

“The only reason they say that is because of how dominant I’ve been,” Crawford said. “Ricky Burns, he became champion after (fighting) me. Beltran, he became champion after me. A lot of people discredit those types of fighters. Then everybody gets their credit for beating those types of fighters. But me, being on the pedestal that I am, they look at me and say, ‘Oh, well, those are just steppingstone fights.’

“They’ll give me my credit when I retire. Muhammad Ali, a lot of people didn’t like him. He was the villain. A lot of people didn’t like Mike Tyson, they just knew he was going to knock somebody out. A lot of people say Mike Tyson didn’t fight nobody. A lot of people don’t like Floyd Mayweather, but they respect him because of how talented he is. So when I look at it, I’m never going to get the just due. Just continue to keep winning. That’s it.”