Sebastian Fundora sets his sights on Crawford for the next fight

Sebastian Fundora wants Terence Crawford for his next fight in a three-belt unification fight if he agrees to it. WBC and WBO junior middleweight champion Fundora's promoter Sampson Lewkowicz said Saturday that he wants WBA champion Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) for his fighter's next fight, not Errol Spence.

To have a chance at a match against Fundora, Crawford would have to hold off on pursuing a legacy fight against Canelo Alvarez. Given the problems Crawford had in his junior middleweight debut against WBA champion Israil Madrimov on August 3, he may decide it's too risky for him to face the 6-foot-2 Fundora.

Crawford turned 37 on Saturday, and he didn't look young as he ate up right hands all night against Madrimov. The year-long break from Crawford's previous fight against Spence in July 2023 didn't help, but he looked like an older fighter who no longer had the same power or size to dominate as he had at 147 years old.

If Crawford decides to turn down the Fundora fight, he will likely wait to see what happens with Canelo and then perhaps pull out if he doesn't get the match. Fundora would then defend both of his belts against 34-year-old former welterweight champion Spence. It's not a great fight, but it would still generate a lot of interest from fans.

“I can’t imagine Crawford deciding to fight a big 6-foot-1, 154-pounder after fighting the way he did [against Israil Madrimov in his debut at 154 last August]. He’s really looking for Canelo,” boxing expert Chris Algieri told Probox TV about his doubts about whether Terence Crawford will agree to face unified junior middleweight champion Sebastian Fundora next.

“I just can’t imagine Crawford getting up for a Fundora fight at this point. For Crawford, I'm sticking with Canelo or Bust because he's looking for legacy-style money. It’s completely understandable for what he’s done in his career.”

Crawford hasn't done much to beat big opponents. Yes, he is a former two-division world champion and has won titles in four weight classes, but his actual victories are marginal.

“Regarding Fundora’s statement that he wants to fight [Crawford]. It doesn't matter. He will take everyone with him. Whoever they put in front of him, he will fight him. He is unable to choose anything. As it stands, all signs point to Errol Spence,” Algieri said.

“I think Fundora would like to land the Crawford fight. “It's a big fight at 154 pounds and it's probably the biggest fight that can be done in that weight class,” Paulie Malignaggi said. “But I don’t think he’s capable of deciding what to do. He is not a world champion who has such an elevated pedestal.”

Fundora would definitely like to fight Crawford, but he may not get the match because it's not a fight that pays Terence enough to take the risk.