Terence Crawford moved up to junior welterweight last weekend, and in his first fight at a new weight class handled a larger fighter with ease and took home the WBO junior welterweight title. Crawford put down Thomas Dulorme, once a bright prospect, in Round 6 after not flashing much power in the five rounds prior. Now that he has proven he can easily handle the extra weight, "Bud" Crawford looks ready to take on higher-level opponents.
Here are five tantalizing possibilities for his next fight.
Lamont Peterson (33-3-1, 17 KO)
Peterson is coming off a controversial loss to Danny Garcia in a non-title Premier Boxing Champions matchup on NBC that is unlikely to have hurt his standing among boxing observers. Peterson came into the fight bigger and stronger than he'd ever been previously, and outboxed Garcia for the majority of the fight. He lost because he was overly mobile in the early rounds; judges rewarded Garcia for bringing the fight to Peterson, even if it was largely ineffective aggression.
Peterson would be a stiffer test than Dulorme was, and if Crawford were to stop him he'd elevate himself into elite consideration on pound-for-pound lists if he's not already there.
Lucas Matthysse (37-3-0, 34 KO)
Crawford is one of the purest, most technically sound boxers the sport has to offer, but Matthysse poses a serious threat. He is a big junior welterweight, and he has hurt just about ever fighter he's taken on. This would be a classic boxer vs. puncher matchup, and it'd be a very high-profile bout to boot. Matthysse is coming off a crowd-pleasing war with Ruslan Provodnikov on the same split-site telecast as Crawford. Should Crawford survive a tussle with "La Machina," he'd become an outright star.
Viktor Postol (27-0-0-, 11 KO)
Postol won't bring fanfare to the table like Peterson or Matthysse, but he is the mandatory challenger for the WBC belt Danny Garcia will likely vacate to move to the welterweight division. Crawford is new to 140 pounds yes, but he is a special fighter and is worthy of facing Postol for the belt if Garcia drops it. Both Crawford and Postol are undefeated fighters looking to build up their names. They're also difficult matchups that can make any star look bad. Without belts, they may be victims of ducking, but the allure of the WBC title will make them desirable opponents.
Adrien Broner (30-1-0, 22 KO)
Broner would be higher on this list if not for the fact that his handlers are unlikely to let him near Crawford. Despite brash boasts of wanting the likes of Manny Pacquiao or Lucas Matthysse, fans eager to see Broner step up his competition again have been disappointed with three consecutive also-ran foes.
It is more likely that Broner would go toe-to-toe with Matthysse, a frightening offensive fighter with some glaring flaws, rather than Crawford. On the other hand, Broner possesses the type of blazing hand speed that has a way of disturbing the rhythm of ring tacticians. Crawford is capable of fighting conventionally or in a southpaw stance, but either way Broner's quick enough to keep landing shots. That's if he decides to throw punches.
Manny Pacquiao (57-5-2, 38 KO)
This fight has a huge caveat to it. He's set to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. on May 2, and if he wins that bout there's no chance he's fighting Crawford next. However, if Mayweather, the favorite, is able to beat Pacquiao decisively "Pacman" might decide to drop weight and finish out his career in the junior welterweight division.
Pacquiao is a legend who isn't going to fight lower-level 140-pounders though. He'd likely seek out the cream of the crop. That would currently be Danny Garcia if he remained at 140, but if not Crawford should be the man he turns to. It's a win-win for Crawford if it happened. A loss to Pacquiao isn't too damaging, but a win means a career-best payday and a trampoline leap up the pound-for-pound rankings.
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