Eddie Hearn on Why Terence Crawford Is Not the Best Pound-for-Pound Fighter

Talking to iFL TV, Hearn expressed his doubts about the validity of considering Crawford as the best pound-for-pound fighter, highlighting how he hasn’t faced major names in their prime.

“Who has Crawford beat from the pound-for-pound list? The answer is Canelo Alvarez, and maybe Errol Spence at the time who was somewhere near the back end of the top 10 at the time, but when he fought Shawn Porter, when he fought Kell Brook, when he fought Amir Khan, when he fought Gamboa, it’s important that you get what I’m saying,” he said.

Hearn’s words do make sense as some of the big-name opponents he defeated were arguably past their prime. By the time Crawford fought him in 2019, Porter was still a top contender but not at the absolute peak of his career. This was the same in the case of Brook and Khan.

While he is certain that Crawford is one of the most skilled fighters of his time, Hearn finds it unfortunate that Crawford was unable to beat the “elite guys during his prime”. However, there is one fighter that he believes deserves the spot as the pound for pound superstar in the world of boxing, the Ukrainian powerhouse, Oleksandr Usyk.

“And then I look at Usyk and I go Fury, who I believe was in his prime, right at the top of his game, AJ, two or three years ago, Dubois who is a young man and particular the second victory against Dubois when he was firing on all cylinders, but even when I go back to cruiserweight, he was beating those guys in their back yard. He pips it, but it’s very close,” he said.

“Sooner Rather Than Later”

Meanwhile, there is one fighter that fans wish to see back in the ring, heavyweight champ, Anthony Joshua. With barely three months left for the end of the year, Hearn answered queries on if Joshua will be seen in action anytime in 2025.

“There could be a possibility. I’m not saying that’s for sure, but at the end of the day, a lot of it depends on who he fights,” he said while also adding that many major names are in the books as potential opponents. “This is like one big last roll of the dice. It could be 18 months, could be two years, I don’t know. But he wants to get active, and that’s a really good thing. You may see him sooner rather than later. Lots of options on the table.”