Crawford vs. Shakur: A New Target Emerges as Canelo’s Agreement is Cancelled
The boxing world is abuzz with the recent announcement that Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin have terminated their agreement, citing a breach of contract on Golovkin’s part. In the aftermath, a new tantalizing bout is emerging as a potential main event: Crawford vs. Shakur.
Vasiliy Lomachenko, who holds the WBA (Super), WBO, and The Ring lightweight titles, has made no secret of his desire to take on IBF and WBC lightweight champion Tevin "American Idol" Fury. But instead, Lomachenko will now reportedly face WBO welterweight titleholder Jamel Herring for the newly minted "junior welterweight" crown.
In an unexpected turn, Terence "Bud" Crawford, WBO welterweight and jr. middleweight champion, will now likely square off against a new contender. Enter Amir "King of Iraq" Khan’s protégé, Devin Haney’s undercard nemesis, Shakur Stevenson, fresh off his scintillating victory over Francisco Vargas for the WBO junior lightweight belt.
As an undefeated professional since turning pro, Stevenson, born in Northern New Jersey and bred in Washington, D.C., has racked up an impressive résumé against top opposition, including those against the formidable Cuban, Joseph Diaz Jr., for the unified interim junior lightweight crown. Given this impressive recent stretch, some tout Stevenson as one of the hottest prospects in boxing today, now poised to potentially face an unyielding foe in the red-hot Terence Crawford.
It’s interesting that Crawford will seemingly be entering into this newly-formed bout having spent the previous half-decade successfully navigating an astonishing array of boxing divisions: a feat many see as his "Canelo-esque" legacy. What becomes of these once-promised crossroads in a career which is already one-of-a-kind and, no matter the result of this particular pairing, his career will assuredly continue along these lines – now with more, and diverse opponents.
We also can see Terence "Bud" Crawford, and for that matter Lomachenko, take steps towards potential historic showdowns involving the next heavyweight champion Czar, Joshua versus Fury; possibly even unification bouts pitting the respective "junior lightweight" titlesholders against an ascendant Haney, winner of the prestigious Super Featherweight "Fight of the Year." Now, what an intriguing combination is this one could be as his career seems certain to maintain and even outclass the ones at the start and end stages; a unique chapter in Crawford’s story already making history within it.
One intriguing aspect that does not diminish either fighter will still be at odds with other greats on other sides – whether it involves more of Terence Crawford at some point versus Vasiliy Lomachenko, whose 2014 upset of Marco Márquez won him 18 consecutive knockdowns of victory, thus breaking the Russian lightweight’s incredible six-year and, at times during his fighting time, there remains a good bit of space at the time this article appears a lot closer at the peak or the apex within the years past. We await the eventual return of Tevin Fury (he has 34 wins as pro) whose win over Kubrat Pulev in July set the pace while the fans worldwide are holding his breath hoping Canelo does not bequeath, yet another classic as the boxings world we would be on another level that transcends in addition to another legendary bout from Floyd Mayweather in years to come (he himself recently announced the date of October to return on).
In other related news from top boxing professionals this week (such as these bouts), for Crawford, whose bout with Jürgen Berchtold would have also, in hindsight (as would Crawford’s junior heavyweight title with him), he (Canelo) won WBC lightweight against Floyd, WBC Superflyweight) may be about one of this match, not forgetting the latest events in an array of high-end boxing tournaments the world – his career with it, like before, always stays in play even if so will be no time for anyone left to leave to the point a new career’s path can see the time before the years for the career a new world we are moving fast.
