Does Terence Crawford have anything else to prove in boxing? After all, he is a two-time undisputed champion and has won multiple world titles across four divisions. However, the pound-for-pound king wants another stellar name for his squeaky-clean boxing record; none other than the Mexican boxing icon Canelo Alvarez. But why would Crawford want to fight the unified super middleweight champion, considering the weight difference between the two fighters, why take the risk? Terence Crawford faced Israil Madrimov in his last fight at 154, and it was a hard-fought battle that went the distance, with ‘Bud’ winning via unanimous decision.

On that note, Crawford jumping two weight classes to meet Alvarez who is a natural 168-pounder is a bold move indeed.  However, America’s most successful podcaster and UFC color commentator, Joe Rogan, believes there is a certain rationale for Terence Crawford wanting to fight Canelo Alvarez. Amidst discussions about various elite fighters in combat sports with UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad on the latest episode of his podcast The JRE, Rogan elaborated on the reasons why Terence Crawford wants to fight Canelo Alvarez.

Rogan feels that Canelo is the A-side in professional boxing, and a bout with him would mean a massive payday for the 36-year-old southpaw. “Crawford, I think he just wants the big money fight…. like, what is the big money fight? Canelo’s the big money fight.” the 57-year-old combat sports enthusiast said during his conversation with Belal. In addition, Rogan stated that the Canelo fight would be the last bout of Crawford’s career that would set him up nicely for retirement.

“Crawford is one of the best ever. He’s 36, he’s like, ‘maybe, you know let me get one big money fight and get the f*ck out of here yeah.” Joe remarked. “These guys who’ve been at the top so long, you’re like all right let me get somebody that’s on my level. Canelo, he’s been in the game just as long as me, and let’s just do this for this paycheck and then move,” he further stated.

Terence Crawford is at the tail end of his career, and there isn’t much left in his gas tank. Instead of facing younger and hungrier fighters who might pose a bigger risk to his boxing legacy, fighting a boxing superstar in Canelo who is just as seasoned and experienced in the fight game as he is, seems like a smart move. Taking into account Rogan’s opinion, let’s also see what Crawford himself has to say about why he wants to fight Canelo Alvarez.

One for the legacy, one for the bank account!

In an earlier interview with The MMA Hour, Crawford made it clear that he would not be facing the IBF welterweight champion, Jaron Ennis, anytime in the future. The 27-year-old elite fighter still has a lot to prove in boxing and isn’t a big PPV draw at this stage of his career. Meanwhile, Canelo marks the tick-boxes for two things that Crawford holds dear — money in the bank and legacy.

“Where I’m at right now, I’m looking at the fight that makes the most sense and that’s not Boots. Canelo is going to bring way more to my legacy; way more to my bank account. At the end of the day, when boxing is done with, what will we have? I wanna have a legacy that people talk about for ages, and not only that, I want a bank account that will last for ages,” Crawford told Ariel Helwani.

It’s quite clear that Crawford is hinting at the Canelo fight as the last hurrah of his professional boxing career. So, Joe Rogan might not be way off the mark in his predictions! Do you think Terence Crawford will ultimately get to fight Canelo Alvarez? Let us know in the comment section below.