Crawford’s Future Plans: A Bivol Match?

Terence Crawford was allowed to enter the ring to congratulate Dmitry Bivol moments after his victory over undisputed light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev last Saturday night in Riyadh. This seems like a staged move to gauge fans’ interest in a Crawford vs. Bivol fight in 2026 if both fighters win their next matches. I can see it from a mile away. This has the hallmarks of whetting the appetite of fans in a Crawford vs. Bivol fight.

(Credit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing)

There’s no other way of seeing this move of Crawford posing with Bivol inside the ring as a strategy to create interest in a fight between them. If it happens next year, Crawford will likely move up and challenge Bivol for his belts without fighting any contenders to earn the title shot.

The Business Over Sport

He’ll have it given to him on a silver platter, as he’s doing at 168 against WBA, WBC, and WBO super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez. If Crawford had to beat a top contender at 175, like David Benavidez or David Morrell, to earn the title shot against Bivol, he would be out of his depth. It’s utterly predictable, though, that Crawford will move up to 175 to challenge Bivol for his four titles IF he still holds them after his likely trilogy with Beterbiev.

Bivol and Crawford looked the same size. It’s surprising how much weight Crawford has packed on since bulking up last August. He looks like he’s in the 180s now, as big as Bivol but obviously not as powerful or physically built for the division. The Nebraska native Crawford has been power-feeding and hitting the weights.

Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) is feathering his retirement nest egg, moving up to 168 to challenge Canelo Alvarez for his unified titles on September 13th in a novelty contest. Terence has no experience at 168 and is moving up for what he calls “legacy” purposes, but it’s more about money. However, if Crawford is given a questionable decision like we saw in the Beterbiev-Bivol 2 fight last Saturday, he will need another path for a big payday. That’s where Bivol comes in.

Crawford can make colossal money fighting Bivol in Riyadh. Even if he loses, he’ll still have increased his retirement fund. He’s not about to move back down to 154 because he can’t make the same kind of dough down there, and many of the top fighters would likely beat him. 

I hope that Crawford’s true objective in being permitted to enter the ring for a photo op with Bivol was to help promote his September 13th fight against Canelo Alvarez. Crawford’s being seen inside the ring by many fans who ordered the contest on PPV makes him a minor star and keeps him in the public eye. Crawford posing for pictures with Bivol after his win over Beterbiev allows him to steal some of the shine from him.

If Turki Alalshikh wants to create interest in a Canelo-Crawford fight, he’d have Crawford move up to 168 to prove himself against Osleys Iglesias or Diego Pacheco first in June or July. That’s the sporting way to do it, but again, Crawford would be obliterated by either of those fighters, which would ruin the celebrity fight against Canelo.