Deprived of Floyd Mayweather-Like Treatment, Terence Crawford Takes a Dig at Manny Pacquiao & Other Greats- “Nobody Passed the Torch”

For Muhammad Ali, defeating Sonny Liston defined his ascent. Oscar De La Hoya’s TKO of Julio César Chávez marked his rise, only for Floyd Mayweather to eclipse Golden Boy as boxing’s biggest name. For every boxer, there comes a moment when he takes over the sport with a statement win against the biggest names. From Canelo Álvarez to Manny Pacquiao, everyone had that moment. However, Terence Crawford‘s journey is completely different.

For the Nebraskan, there was no era-defining explosive fight. It was always one step at a time, with each victory a deliberate step toward greatness. Reflecting on his path, Crawford feels only pride. Despite not getting his passing-the-torch moment, he has established himself as one of the biggest stars of the era. And no one can take it away from him.

Terence Crawford: Taken no favors

Recently, Bud sat down with NFL Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe for a 3-hour-long candid conversation on the latter’s Club Shay Shay podcast. During the conversation, the 41-0 boxer bared his soul, showing frustration over the Manny Pacquiao fight that was snatched away. When Sharpe asked if facing Pacquiao would have fast-tracked his stardom, the 41-0 boxer didn’t hesitate.

“Of course,” Crawford said, his voice laced with lingering disappointment. He added, “I didn’t have the Manny Pacquiao, Miguel Cotto, Sugar Shane Mosley, and those guys. Those were marquee names in the sport of boxing to pass the torch. Nobody passed the torch to Terence Crawford,” claiming how he did it all by himself. No one did him any favors, “You took it,” Sharpe interjected.

The Nebraskan nodded proudly, “I paved my way. I didn’t piggyback off of any fighter. I fought my way up to the top.” Terence Crawford pointed to the era-defining Floyd Mayweather-Oscar De La Hoya bout and how it made Money a superstar. “When Floyd fought De La Hoya, that was a whole big thing. He wanted to fight De La Hoya, but Top Rank didn’t want to give him De La Hoya initially. But when they met up, you know Floyd was the B-side and he beat De La Hoya and then he started rising to the top,” he stated.

The parallel stung. Crawford felt Top Rank’s reluctance to pit him against Pacquiao mirrored that caution. While Terence Crawford still holds a bit of a grudge against Top Rank for shielding Manny Pacquiao, it looks like he has made peace with it. And after surpassing so many risks, there shouldn’t be any grudge left. At least not when he might be taking the biggest risk of his career.

Always going the extra mile

In the same interview, Terence Crawford and Shannon Sharpe looked at how the former is jumping three weight divisions to fight against Canelo Álvarez. While the fight has immense potential, this massive jump has tilted the odds in favor of Cinnamon massively. The surprising thing? It was a deliberate choice by the Nebraskan. “Why not go up three weight classes?” asked Crawford, as Sharpe just looked perplexed.

“I wanted to go up three, just to be honest. I didn’t want to fight at 154; I wanted to go from 147 to 168, just because I want to challenge myself,” Bud further clarified. Sharpe, still grappling with the boldness, couldn’t hide his astonishment.

However, for Terence Crawford, this fight is not about money or record. It’s about leaving boxing on his terms, tackling the ultimate challenge. Victory would cement him as the audacious warrior who conquered against all odds. Even in defeat, he’d walk away proud, knowing he did not run away from a challenge that even some of the greatest names in the sport might avoid.

What do you think about Terence Crawford’s rise to the top? Let us know your thoughts down below.