Will we see Crawford take on Spence Jr?

Is this the year we will see Terence Crawford take on Errol Spence Jr. to finally crown the best welterweight fighter on the planet? Will the Jake Paul train continue to run at full speed? Could we see a heavyweight champion with all four major belts?

Will Terence Crawford finally have a showdown with Errol Spence Jr.

The real wild card here would be if Crawford decided to strike out on his own and try to find the best fights possible, regardless of the promotion. But the reality is that Crawford should probably link up with a promotion, and PBC or Probellum make more sense if he’s trying to chase major fights.

He took care of Porter in November, and if he’s looking to prove himself at welterweight, that’s the place to be. Spence is there. So is the incumbent Yordenis Ugas. All the belts he could try to claim, and all the big money fights he could try to make in the division, reside in Al Haymon’s PBC promotion. So it makes a lot of sense for Crawford to go there on a multi-fight deal, face the other champions, and then see what happens from there. Signing with Probellum will also allow him to face fighters from other promotions.

Jake Paul fights twice and wins both fights again.

What’s a modern day boxing prediction without something mentioning Jake Paul? And despite all the criticism surrounding the man with Problem Bot, what is undeniable is that Paul brings attention to the sport. He’s shown some legitimate fighting skills and he’s taking it seriously. The way he approached, and knocked out, Tyron Woodley in their rematch was evidence of that.

Paul has become one of the biggest names in the sport and one of the biggest draws. So he has created an enigma. Where many fighters with five pro fights wouldn’t be on pay-per-view events and wouldn’t face any kind of name competition, Paul almost has to. One could argue, and I have before, that his next step should be to face someone with pure boxing experience, similar to the way most young fighters move on with their careers.

But Paul isn’t most fighters, which makes it more difficult. Should he eventually fight someone with a more typical boxing background? Yes. And Tommy Fury, if that fight happens in 2022, would fit that type of matchup. But it has to be a big name, or the kind of name where Paul can help raise intrigue because of other factors, as in the case of Fury. If there isn’t a fight like that, Paul, who said after his last fight that he’s going to take a real vacation, should probably continue down the path he’s on, fighting some of the best fighters mixed martial arts has to offer.

If you have almost any level as a fighter in MMA or boxing, why wouldn’t you take a fight against Paul? You lose, and you’re still in the biggest stage of your career with a good payday. Win, become the person who takes out Jake Paul, and your star rating becomes hard to achieve in the sport otherwise, even for some of its champions. It’s a win-win for many fighters if they, and Paul, are willing to prove it.