You ask HE Turki Alalshikh what’s wrong with boxing and he very well might have a whole list for you! Thinly spread fight cards, best fighters avoiding each other, and lack of a central body to keep everyone in line are a few issues that have pushed boxing behind MMA in the 21st century. It seems there is another issue plaguing the sports: pound-for-pound ranking. What’s exactly wrong with it? That Terence Crawford doesn’t sit atop it.

The Saudi adviser at the Royal Court recently laid down a plan to fix boxing, and it seems he also believes he can do the same with the P4P rankings. While Naoya Inoue is the current #1 P4P fighter, Alalshikh believes the honor should lie to ‘Bud’. Therefore, he has pitched the idea of a ‘project’ to help fix it. He wrote, “Inoue is a great boxer, but Crawford is the pound-for-pound number one.”

“I don’t know how the ranking works or if there’s a clear criteria, but it seems like there are some personal opinions and inaccuracies involved. I believe that boxing needs one entity to evaluate with transparency and credibility. Soon, I will support a project for that matter…!” Alalshikh continued.

It seems the decision stuck a cord with Crawford, 36. The American boxer turned to his X handle and replied with an amusing remark. He responded, “if you know, you know [silence emoji].” 

Notably, Inoue defended his undisputed super bantamweight crown against Luis Nery on May 6 and has been the more active fighter of the two. Meanwhile, Crawford has yet to mark his return to the squared circle since defeating Errol Spence Jr. But Crawford is central to Alalshikh’s global plans, as he headlines Alalshikh’s first card out of Saudi Arabia. The Omaha native fights Israil Madrimov with the WBA junior middleweight title on the line on Aug. 3 In addition, Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority’s chairman has ambitious plans involving him, as he is looking to set up bigger fights for him.

Alalshikh wants to set up Canelo Alvarez vs. Crawford as he eyes a timeline of December or January. He told ESPN, “I’m working to deliver [Canelo Alvarez], but it will be big fight [for Terence Crawford]. I’ll discuss with him the names. “

Crawford has expressed his desire to meet Alvarez to seal off his legacy. However, the weight disparity between the two always caused concerns about the feasibility of the fight. It seems Alalshikh doesn’t want to keep the fans waiting for a fight that can be called the biggest fight in boxing.

Finally, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Fans of Terence Crawford might have to wait for just another three months. Crawford, the first man to become an undisputed champion in two divisions, aims to add one title to his name. To further his ambition, he has decided to challenge the reigning light middleweight champion, Israil Madrimov, for his WBA belt. So today, through his Instagram story, the unified welterweight champion made it clear what he intends to do. As it appears, Crawford roped in the lines from rap legend Kendrick Lamar‘s latest number.

But why did Crawford use this track to promote his fight? Lamar, it seems, has used P4P number 1’s name for his latest diss single against Drake. So as much as it aids the rap legend, perhaps it might add some weight to Crawford’s drift as well!

Ahead of the anticipated bout in Los Angeles on August 5, Terence Crawford and Israil Madrimov faced off for the first time with the ‘Big Apple’s Times Square appearing in the background. Crawford posted the images from the faceoff in his IG story and in the caption of the slides, he announced what’s about to come: “Terence Crawford Era.” But it’s the message written on the top that would have perhaps caught everyone’s attention. It read, “Yeah, I’am whooping feet.”

Many fans might have come across that line somewhere. But where precisely? In his fast-catching track, ‘Euphoria’, Grammy Award-winning Kenrick Lamar dropped Terence Crawford’s name. The six-minute-long diss track is aimed at the Canadian rapper and songwriter Drake, with whom Lamar has been having a long-standing beef.

“I don’t like you poppin’ shit at Pharrell; for him, I inherit the beef / Yeah, f*ck all that pushin’ P. Let me see you push a T / You better off spinnin’ again on him. You think about pushin’ me? / He’s Terrence Thornton, I’m Terence Crawford, yeah, I’m whoopin’ feet,” so went the particular lines from Lamar’s latest answer to Drake.

Both Kendrick and Drake remained on cordial terms during the early stages of their careers as they frequently joined hands. Their first collaboration was over the number ‘Buried Alive Interlude’ which was part of Drake’s 2011 album named ‘Take Care.’ In 2012, Drake invited Lamar for the opening act of his Club Paradise Tour.

The beef between two of rap’s biggest names reportedly commenced sometime in 2013. In one of the verses of Big Sean’s song ‘Control,’ Kendrick called out a string of rappers. He said, “I got love for you all, but I’m trying to murder you.” This did not go down well with Drake as he branded it “an ambitious thought.”

In October last year, the Toronto-born rapper released his album ‘For All The Dogs’ where the collaborator, J Cole suggested in a verse that he, Drake, and Kendrick were the “big three” of modern-day hip-hop. The verse read, “Love when they argue the hardest MC / Is it K. Dot [Kendrick]? Is it Aubrey [Drake]? Or me? / We the big three, like we started a league.” This song peaked in the charts for a week only to be replaced by Taylor Swift’s ‘Cruel Summer.’ In the album ‘We Don’t Trust You,’ there was an uncredited verse by Lamar where he took a dig at both Cole and Drake and the track ends with Kendrick vowing to put all of Drake and J Cole’s “dogs” in the “pet sematary.”

Although Terence Crawford didn’t respond to Kendrick Lamar directly for using, his name, adding the song in his Instagram post and story suggests it may be a subtle nod of approval. Meanwhile meandering through ups and downs post-victory over Spence Jr., he landed up with a fight no one expected.

Terence Crawford towards the third realm

After trouncing the Texan southpaw, Crawford expressed an interest in fighting Canelo Alvarez. Nevertheless, barring the initial call-outs, talks never proceeded to the next level. Moreover, the idea of ‘Bud’ jumping three divisions up doesn’t appear too appealing either. Then, in September, Spence Jr. activated his rematch clause. However, just when the subject started catching some heat, news of the former unified welterweight champion undergoing cataract surgery pushed the matter to the backburner once again.

‘Bud’ has also activated his status as the WBO’s ‘super champion’ at Welterweight and utilized it to become their mandatory challenger at Super-Welterweight.

Interestingly, Terence Crawford’s decision to push with the Spence Jr. rematch exacted a toll on his titles. His inability to defend the IBF title resulted in Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis, until then an interim title holder, becoming a full champion. Thus, from the undisputed champion, ‘Bud’ got relegated to unified status. However, as it’s apparent, the setback hasn’t robbed the legend of his dream.

Boxing has been buzzing with talk of a super fight – Terence Crawford versus Canelo Alvarez. But there’s a catch! Canelo fights at a much higher weight class, in the super middleweight division to be specific. Crawford, the current welterweight king, would have to step up three divisions just to reach Canelo. Is he up for the challenge? Apparently, absolutely.

Crawford’s got his sights set on Canelo, but first, he’s facing a tough fight in August at light-middleweight against Israil Madrimov. Will this be a stepping stone to Canelo or a stumbling block? Boxing legends like James Toney and Tim Bradley are convinced Crawford is unbeatable. But can he defy the odds and conquer a whole new weight class and then subsequent weight classes to eventually take on Canelo?

So, Crawford’s got a fight to deal with first. But according to boxing legend Tim Bradley, this is just a warm-up act for the main event – Crawford versus Canelo. Bradley recently sang Crawford’s praises, highlighting his insane training regimen. He bragged about Crawford doing “15 four-minute rounds. Twelve with Shakur, three with Shakur’s cousin. Four-minute rounds, 30 seconds rest.” That’s some serious dedication!

Bradley doesn’t just see Crawford winning against Madrimov, he predicts a dominant performance: “He’s going to crush this dude, Madrimov. He’s going to crush him.” Strong words! But Bradley doesn’t stop there. He claims credit for recognizing Crawford’s talent early on, saying, “I’m the one that put him on notes. I was the first one to recognize him.” Whether that’s true or not, there’s no doubt James Toney too believes in Crawford’s potential.

And that potential, according to Bradley, translates to beating anyone. When asked about Crawford’s chances of victory against Canelo, Toney didn’t mince words. “Yup, by KO,” he said. Bradley also echoed a similar sentiment and said, “Crawford beats anybody he steps in the ring with. Anybody.” He emphasizes that Crawford isn’t afraid to go the distance, but ultimately declares, “No one beats him. No one beats Terence Crawford.” Those are some bold statements!

Crawford craves a Canelo clash

While Canelo’s reasons for leaving his old promoter (PBC) remain a mystery, one thing is clear: Terence Crawford is chomping at the bit for a fight! Crawford shut down speculation that Canelo left to avoid him or David Benavidez. But there’s no mistaking his own hunger. “Me and Canelo have never talked about fighting,” Crawford admitted.

But then he dropped the mic: “Yeah, that’s a fight I would take in a heartbeat, and I would look forward to taking it. But, no, I don’t think he moved because of Terence Crawford or Benavidez.” Will Canelo answer the call? Only time will tell, but Crawford seems more than ready to throw down.

How often do boxers get involved in the entertainment industry? The answer is more than people realize! However, this time, former undisputed champion Terence Crawford was roped into it. On his YouTube channel, Kendrick Lamar released a six-minute long diss track on Tuesday, titled ‘Euphoria’. It was a move against pop star Drake, following their long-running feud.

The diss track shares its name with the hit HBO TV Show ‘Euphoria,’ where Drake serves as an executive producer. However, the verse involving Crawford came as a surprise to many when the track started circulating on the web. Boxing n BBQ quickly picked up the development and shared a portion of the song on social media.

The verse in question reads, “You thinkin bout pushin me? He’s Terrence Thornton, I’m Terence Crawford, yeah, I’m whoopin feet.” Most likely, Crawford isn’t involved in their beef and Lamar just name-dropped the boxer to emphasize his dominance over Drake. And it does make sense that the rapper would use Crawford’s name, as ‘Bud’ is arguably the pound-for-pound best.

The Omaha, Nebraska, native is currently slated to fight Israil Madrimov on August 3 at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles. The twelve-round fight will see the WBA super welterweight and WBO interim super welterweight titles on the line, giving Crawford the opportunity to gain a belt in a fourth division. Meanwhile, the entire card for the fight has been revealed on social media.

Crawford vs. Madrimov card: what to expect?

The upcoming fight will be Turki Alalshikh’s debut event in America, featuring some of the biggest names in the industry. Recently, promoter Eddie Hearn shared details about the entire card on X. The event would kick- off with undefeated prospect Andy Cruz facing Antonio Moran in a ten-round bout for the IBF international lightweight title.

Up next, David Morrell will look to sweep the vacant WBA light heavyweight title against Serbia’s Radivoje Kalajdzic. Then, Andy Ruiz Jr. will make his much-anticipated return against Jarrell Miller in a non-title fight. Even Tim Tszyu will make his quick return to the ring after his recent defeat against undefeated Virgil Ortiz in a twelve-round non-title fight.

Just before the main event, fans will get to see recently crowned WBA super lightweight champion Isaac Cruz square off against Jose Valenzuela for Cruz’s first title defense. And then, of course, the main event will feature Crawford and Madrimov.