Sergio Mora says Terence Crawford should move down to 160 and fight Erislandy Lara next for his WBA middleweight title to become a six-division world champion. He believes a win for Crawford over Lara (31-3-3, 19 KOs) would put him in the same class legacy-wise as Roberto Duran, Hank Armstrong, and Sugar Ray Robinson.
Lara hasn’t fought in a year since his ninth-round stoppage win over Danny Garcia on September 14, 2024. Moreover, Lara is 42 years old and will turn 43 on April 11. Given his age, it would be difficult to attract fans to subscribe to Netflix in huge numbers to watch a clash between him and Crawford.
What would make a fight with Erislandy Lara even worse is if Crawford chooses to go on an extended victory lap for a year or more instead of coming back at the end of 2025. If Crawford waits until September 2026 before he fights again, Lara will be a year older and will be 43. That would tarnish a victory for Crawford.
The Pursuit of Six Divisions
“Crawford can pick up a strap against Erislandy Lara to become a six-division world champion,” said boxing analyst Sergio Mora to Chris Mannix’s channel about who Terence Crawford can fight next. “Crawford, the $50 million that he made, he’s never going to make that again.”
The Financial Problem
It would likely be a dramatic pay cut that Bud would be dealing with if he were to fight Lara next, rather than a rematch with Canelo or a risky fight against David Benavidez. That cut in pay may make Crawford reluctant to fight Erislandy. It’s Mora that thinks its a great idea, not Crawford.
“Terence Crawford would put the kind of beating on Erislandy Lara like one he would never forget. He’s not the Erislandy Lara that fought Canelo in 2014. I don’t know who’s putting up the cash for that fight,” said Mannix.
Lara’s Declining Form
Lara looked slow, stiff, and old in his last fight against Danny Garcia in September 2024. He doesn’t look anything like the fighter he’d been when he lost to Canelo by a controversial 12-round split decision on July 12, 2014.
Crawford isn’t doing himself any favors by rejecting a fight against David Benavidez, because he’s perhaps the only option out there besides a Canelo rematch where he can get a massive payday. Turki Alalahikh wouldn’t have mentioned Benavidez after the fight if he wasn’t already viewing him as the most marketable fight for Crawford.
Options Beyond Lara
- David Benavidez
- Dmitry Bivol
- Jaron Ennis
- Canelo Alvarez
Last Updated on 09/17/2025
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