Terence Crawford entered a new division in emphatic style on Saturday, beating Canelo Alvarez to become undisputed super-middleweight champion.
The American, competing two divisions above his previous maximum, outpointed Canelo in Las Vegas to become the first three-weight undisputed king of the modern era.
That triumph followed the 37-year-old’s undisputed reigns at super-lightweight and welterweight, while he has also held world titles at lightweight and super-welterweight.
But what is next for Crawford? The unbeaten star refused to retire immediately after beating Canelo, 35, in front of more than 70,000 fans at Allegiant Stadium. So, who are his potential next opponents?
A rematch with Canelo is a possibility, of course, if the Mexican desires it, while Crawford is unlikely to cut back down to welterweight at this stage in his career.
But it seems Crawford’s next fight could actually come in the division he skipped over to reach super-middleweight.
At middleweight, the champions are: Janibek Alimkhanuly, who holds the WBO and IBF belts; Carlos Adames, the WBC champion; and Erislandy Lara, the WBA title holder.
It was also at middleweight that Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn clashed in April, and where the Britons will meet again in November. The winner of that contest could face Crawford in a high-profile match-up.
Another potential middleweight option might be Hamzah Sheeraz, a favourite of Saudi adviser Turki Alalshikh, who was behind Saturday’s fight card.
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Then there is Jaron “Boots” Ennis, with whom Crawford was linked after the latter eviscerated Errol Spence Jr in 2023. That win made Crawford undisputed at welterweight, where Ennis was a hot prospect.
But Ennis is a super-welterweight at present, and a middleweight mid-point meeting with Crawford would make sense for the American pair.
Clearly, there are plenty of options for Crawford, who may just be the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world right now.
