Doubts over Terence Crawford and Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez‘s duel continue to persist. Just the other day, fresh out of the first face-off with William Scull, Canelo shared his thoughts on the much-anticipated showdown. For the unified super middleweight champion, the fight, scheduled for September in Las Vegas, could be much bigger than the decade-old match with Floyd Mayweather Jr. The Mexican icon, who has signed a four-fight deal with Turki Alalshikh‘s Riyadh Season, sounded quite optimistic.

As much as it fulfills his legacy dream, the historic fight promises a record-breaking purse. But what about Bud Crawford? Ever since he defeated Errol Spence Jr. in 2023, it’s the fight Crawford has been yearning for. Now that it’s appearing on the horizon, what does it mean to him? Climbing up two divisions to face a pound-for-pound boxer will solidify his place among the sport’s legends. Even moneywise, many expect Crawford to reap enormous benefits. A flurry of rumors and discussions have emerged, and it seems a few believe that perhaps for the Nebraskan, it’s the money that matters the most.

Dollars make the decisions!

“No more questions about it. I know one question about it, about the fight. You know I don’t like to talk,” responded a visibly irritated Juan Manuel Marquez when a reporter checked for his views on the Crawford-Canelo duel. But he promptly offered an explanation. The sheer weight gap between the two champions continues to bother Marquez. It’s a point many have highlighted before. Marquez pointed out that boxing has weight divisions for a reason. The size difference between Canelo and Crawford is too significant. So he seems to suggest that the fight wouldn’t be fair from a competitive standpoint.

So what is it all about, especially for Terence Crawford? “Crawford sets, the money for me is the most important for this fight,” he stressed. The reporter rechecked, “That’s what you think he’s doing it for, the money. Crawford? That’s what you think?” The boxing legend reiterated, “Yeah, I think Crawford is clearly. He say clearly, ‘The most important for this fight for me is my bank account is good’.” It seems like the Mexican boxing veteran is reading too much into Crawford’s intention for facing Canelo.

The 37-year-old has reiterated multiple times that this matchup for him is a test of his own greatness. “I want to challenge myself,” Crawford had stated last month when asked why he was moving up to face Canelo at super middleweight. “Big chances, big rewards,” Crawford added. Now, as far as his contention about the Crawford-Canelo showdown goes, Juan Manuel Marquez has remained steadfast.

Terence Crawford vs. Canelo Alvarez: Never mind the weight

Last year too, ahead of Canelo’s title defense against Jaime Munguia, during an interaction, he said, “Now Crawford, who isn’t even a super welterweight, is going up to super middleweight? I don’t know what he’s doing; Crawford is a great fighter, but we need to realize weight classes exist for a reason. What Crawford needs is to fight at the welterweight division, or at super-welterweight maximum, because Canelo would have too many advantages.”

But the money part throws a big curveball into the mix. For the record, Terence Crawford has never stated explicitly that he’s calling out Canelo Alvarez solely for money. During an interaction with FightHype, former world champion and trainer Robert Garcia‘s brother Mikey Garcia suggested that the Nebraskan southpaw could potentially take home a whopping purse totaling $100 million.

Now, the fight is happening under the auspices of Riyadh Season. Fans need only refer to last year’s Usyk-Fury fights and the money they made. They might offer some clues as to where Crawford and Canelo’s purse could potentially head. But to label the bout as a pure money-spinner?

Do you also agree with Juan Manuel Marquez’s contention about Terence Crawford’s motivation?