A Hall of Fame icon believes he would have ended Terence Crawford’s undefeated run: “He’s lucky we never had a chance to test it.”
Terence Crawford and Manny Pacquiao have both competed across four weight classes, but their paths never crossed in the ring. Now, the question on fans’ minds is whether a clash could still happen.
Pacquiao’s career seemed to be nearing its end after a August 2021 setback to Yordenis Ugas for the WBA welterweight belt. A few months later, Crawford kept climbing, stopping Shawn Porter in the 10th round to defend his WBO welterweight title.
Crawford has already established dominance at 140 pounds, capturing the crown, then defending it, and later conquering the super-middleweight division. Pacquiao, on the other hand, returned from retirement earlier this year and pushed a competitive fight against Mario Barrios in his bid to capture the WBC welterweight title at age 46.
Pacquiao, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame earlier this year, appears poised to extend his career, with a public update on his plans expected soon. Crawford, meanwhile, faces a decision about whether to stay at 168 pounds or pursue another weight change.
Crawford recently claimed that a hypothetical meeting with Pacquiao in their primes would have gone Crawford’s way, prompting a gracious reply from the eight-division world champion. However, when ES News revisited the remark, Pacquiao’s response carried a sharper edge.
“I think it’s lucky that he didn’t fight me.”
With big spectacle fights already on the table in the wider boxing landscape—think Jake Paul preparing to challenge Anthony Joshua—nothing in boxing can be ruled out. A Crawford–Pacquiao catchweight super-fight remains improbable, yet not entirely out of the question, especially if Crawford further stirs the pot with a few pointed remarks.
