Terence Crawford has weighed in on the potential cruiserweight clash between Oleksandr Usyk and David Benavidez after both men have said they are willing to make it happen.
Usyk moved up from 200lbs to heavyweight in 2019, beginning a run that would see him beat Anthony Joshua, Daniel Dubois and Tyson Fury, all twice.
Having vacated his titles and cemented his place as the best of a generation, the Ukrainian is now looking to drop back down to cruiserweight – where he also held all four major belts – to challenge today’s new star, David Benavidez.
There are many factors to consider when weighing up the fight, including Usyk’s age, inactivity and weight cut, but also his generational talent.
Some in the sport, including former champion Tim Bradley, believe Benavidez takes the fight convincingly, but Crawford is not so sure.
Speaking to Seconds Out, the retired pound-for-pound star seemingly couldn’t pick a winner.
“Usyk… Benavidez… Usyk… Listen, I’m good friends with both of them, I support both of them. It’s going to be a hell of a fight. I wish both of them a great training camp if they do fight. Both of them win at the end of the day.”
Though both have said they want to make the fight happen, some obstacles remain.
Benavidez faces Michal Cieslak next month for the WBC title and will hold three of the four belts – only missing the IBF – if he wins. He has then verbally agreed to face his biggest rival in the division, Jai Opetaia, next May.
Usyk has made it clear that he wants the fight to be for the undisputed championship, meaning he will have to angle himself into a position to fight for the currently vacant IBF belt.
