By suggesting that undisputed status loses its luster if a fighter avoids the most dangerous challenges, Ryan echoes the criticism that fans have of Crawford.
The main point of the critique centers on the final chapters of Crawford’s career. While Bud’s resume is objectively legendary, the names missing from his 147 and 154-pound runs provide plenty of ammunition for skeptics.
The list of fighters Crawford bypassed is what really stings for boxing purists. If he were truly looking to cement a legacy of “the best fighting the best,” those are the names that should have been on his dance card:
At 147: Jaron “Boots” Ennis was the clear successor, a high-risk fight with less “superstar” reward that Crawford never seemed interested in.
At 154: Vergil Ortiz Jr. and Sebastian Fundora represent the physical grit of the division. Skipping them to jump straight to a lucrative Canelo fight suggests a priority on “prizefighting” over “legacy-fighting.”
At 168: The avoidance of Christian Mbilli, Osleys Iglesias, and Diego Pacheco, the true monsters of the division, makes the Canelo victory look more like a strategic heist than a takeover.
The fact that Turki Alalshikh publicly mentioned Benavidez vs. Crawford on X is the smoking gun. The money and the platform were there for Crawford to take on the most feared man in the vicinity of his weight class.
Choosing retirement immediately after the Canelo check instead of facing a “Monster” like Benavidez or the rising contenders supports Ryan’s argument. Crawford finished with the trophies, but he left the sport without answering the most difficult questions.
While the history books show Crawford jumping multiple weight classes to beat a legend, the reality was a version of Canelo who had slowed down significantly and hadn’t been pushed by the elite young killers of the 168-pound division for years.
By the time they met, Canelo’s resume since 2021 was more about brand management than divisional dominance. For Crawford to beat that version of Canelo and then exit stage left feels like he was chasing the prestige of the name rather than the danger of the weight class.
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