Turki Alalshikh told Terence Crawford on Saturday that he didn’t want him to retire following his big fight against Canelo Alvarez on September 13 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Alalshikh’s Challenge to Crawford
Fans believe that the soon-to-be 38-year-old Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) will hang up his gloves win or lose after his title challenge against the undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo (63-2-2, 39 KOs).
Alalshikh’s Investment and Vision
Turki has invested a lot of money in Crawford since last year, putting him in a position to become a three-time undisputed champion against the aging Canelo (63-2-2, 39 KOs). With the millions that Turki has invested in Crawford, one of his favorite fighters, he understandably doesn’t want to see him walk off into the sunset after Saturday’s fight.
While visiting Crawford at the training session at the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas on September 6, 2025, Turki said, “deliver the job” against Canelo on September 13. “The job ain’t done yet. But listen, no retirement,” said Turki about wanting Terence to continue fighting after his super fight against Canelo.
Alalshikh clearly wants Crawford to defend the undisputed 168-pound championship two or three times if he’s victorious against Alvarez or return to 154 to attempt to become a four-division undisputed champion. That would be impressive if Crawford could accomplish that feat.
It would be a good idea for Canelo to ensure that he scores a knockout to avoid losing a decision to Crawford. The last thing Alvarez needs is to wind up getting outpointed by Crawford and having his legacy tarnished from the defeat. Getting beaten by Dmitry Bivol and Floyd Mayweather Jr. is one thing, but it’s a lot worse if he loses to the smaller, older 37-year-old Crawford.
The Gauntlet at 168
If Crawford does choose to follow Turki’s advice of continuing his career, he would be facing this gauntlet of fighters at 168 to make three defenses:
- Christian Mbilli
- Osley Iglesias
- Diego Pacheco
Beating the hard-hitting Cuban southpaw Iglesias (14-0, 13 KOs) might be impossible for Crawford. Iglesias hits hard with either hand, and he’s young at 27. Turning southpaw won’t help Terence against Osley because that’s his stance. He’s a left-hander, and his reach is identical to Crawford’s at 74 inches. So, Bud can’t count on using his jab to dominate him like he’s done against short-armed fighters throughout his career.
Assuming Crawford does get through that gauntlet at 168, he will have accomplished a lot. That would make him a candidate for the all-time great list.
The Path to All-Time Great
The hard part for Crawford would be for him to return to the junior middleweight division to try to become a four-division undisputed champion. To accomplish that, Crawford would have to defeat these three champions:
- Sebastian Fundora: WBC
- Xander Zayas: WBO
- Bakhram Murtazaliev: IBF
To beat all the champions at 154, Crawford can’t afford to take a year break between each fight. He would be in his early 40s by the time he faces the final champion in the weight class, and likely too old to become a four-division undisputed champion if he makes it that far.
Last Updated on 09/07/2025
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