Thurman on Crawford moving up to 147: Cool bro. Go to work. Take a fight.

Terence Crawford is officially a 147-pounder. But his first fight won't be against welterweight titleholder Keith Thurman.

Thurman (28-0, 22 KO's), 29, of Clearwater, Florida, who holds the WBC and WBA welterweight titles, was asked what he made of Crawford, a two-division world champion, making the jump to 147 pounds.

"I'd like to see him fight at 147, so that's nice. Take a fight," Thurman told FightHubTV. "That's how I feel about Terence Crawford. Everybody's talking about how he's at 147, but I haven't watched him fight at 147.

"I know he's a great champion. I know the kid from the amateurs. I got respect for the kid," he added. "I still want to go see him go to work. You in my division? Cool bro. Go to work. Show me what's up!"

The 30-year-old Crawford boasts an enviable 32-0 professional record and is a former world champion in both the lightweight and junior welterweight divisions.

Top Rank's Bob Arum said following Jeff Horn's successful welterweight title defense in December, an 11th-round TKO of British challenger Gary Corcoran, that the Australian would likely defend his title against Crawford in April at "the biggest arena in Las Vegas."

Thurman has been plagued by injuries the last couple of years. He was initially slated to defend his title against Shawn Porter in March 2016, but was injured in a car accident. The fight was rescheduled for June, and "One Time" scored a competitive unanimous decision victory.

Thurman returned to the ring in March 2017 and edged former titlist Danny Garcia by split decision in one of the year's most anticipated fights. He appeared to be in control for a majority of the bout, though one judge curiously scored it for Garcia, who got outclassed for much of the evening.

Thurman will likely need at least one tune-up fight, and he has previously stated that he would take on his mandatories after that.

This means Errol Spence and Crawford must wait their turn, but this could also make a Spence-Crawford bout even more interesting.

Let us know what you think.

Share this story

must see