Terence Crawford: 'I don’t understand why, especially our people hate on Mayweather so much'

Fresh off his monumental victory over Canelo Alvarez earlier this month a performance that crowned him the undisputed super middleweight champion and made him a five-division titleholder Terence Crawford (42-0, 31 KOs) has found himself fielding questions about how he stacks up against the great Floyd Mayweather.

But in Crawford’s eyes, it’s not a fair or even necessary debate.

“I Have Nothing but the Utmost Respect”

Speaking on 4th&1 With Cam Newton, Crawford made it clear that comparisons between him and Mayweather miss the bigger picture.

“I have nothing but the utmost respect for Mayweather,” Crawford said. “I would never compare myself to Mayweather. He’s the greatest of his era, and I’m the greatest of my era.”

Crawford, who has now become boxing’s first-ever three-weight undisputed champion in the four-belt era, acknowledged that Mayweather laid the groundwork for fighters like him to thrive.

“He paved the way for me to be where I’m at,” Crawford explained. “He motivated me in so many ways outside the ring with work ethic, hard work, dedication. I can’t even say enough.”

Canelo’s Take

Canelo Alvarez, who has shared the ring with both men, added fuel to the comparisons after his loss to Crawford. The Mexican superstar, who dropped a unanimous decision to Mayweather in 2013 and was defeated by Crawford on Sept. 13, told reporters that Crawford was “way better” than Mayweather.

That praise, however, didn’t change Crawford’s stance. For him, Mayweather’s legacy remains intact.

“I don’t understand why, especially our people hate on Mayweather so much,” Crawford said. “He made so much history for us. I’m just focused on being the best of my time.”

Two Eras, Two Paths

Mayweather (50-0, 27 KOs) retired in 2017 after stopping UFC star Conor McGregor in a crossover fight that capped a perfect career record. A week before, Crawford unified all four belts at junior welterweight, cementing himself as one of the pound-for-pound best.

By the time Crawford moved up to welterweight in 2018, Mayweather was already done with championship-level boxing. Their timelines never aligned, but both carved out historic runs in their respective eras.