Who Would Win Between Mayweather And Crawford?

Shane Mosley believes Terence Crawford would beat a prime Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Mosley’s comments after Crawford beat Canelo Alvarez to become undisputed at 168. In doing so, Bud became the first man to be a three-weight undisputed champion following the same feat at 140 and 147, making him a five-weight world champion. Crawford jumped up from 154 for the Canelo fight, when he had not boxed at 160 or 168, showing the magnitude of the win. While Mayweather beat Canelo during his younger years, Crawford did so when Canelo had vastly more experience. Canelo was on record, saying Crawford is better than Mayweather. Mosley shares the same view. 

“I think Crawford is better. I would say Crawford is the better all-around fighter. Mayweather is really good, too, though, you can’t knock him. He’s very talented. It would’ve been a tough fight.I think Crawford would have the edge over Mayweather because of the long arms and because he’s bigger. He’d have kept him at bay. Like Crawford said, Mayweather had his era, and this is his era,” Mosley said 

The Approach

Crawford’s “long arms” and “bigger” frame would have been a significant factor, allowing him to “keep [Mayweather] at bay.” Crawford’s victory over Canelo is a powerful example of this. He successfully neutralized a naturally bigger, top-tier champion by controlling the distance and outmaneuvering him.

Crawford’s ability to seamlessly switch between orthodox and southpaw stances is a huge advantage that Mayweather rarely, if ever, faced in an elite opponent. This constant change in attack and defense would present a unique puzzle, forcing Mayweather to adapt in a way he never had to against a fighter of Crawford’s caliber.

Despite Crawford’s recent brilliance, the claim that he would beat a prime Mayweather is a difficult one to prove. Mayweather is widely regarded as the greatest defensive fighter in history, with a ring IQ that allowed him to adapt to any style and win with ease. His style was built on making opponents miss and then making them pay, a strategy that would be perfect against a switch-hitter like Crawford.

For instance, in his fight against Manny Pacquiao, a high-volume, dynamic puncher, Mayweather’s defensive prowess neutralized Pacquiao’s strengths. While Crawford’s win over Canelo was historic, Mayweather’s legacy is built on a longer list of consistently defeating Hall-of-Fame-level opponents who were also at their peak. However, Tim Bradley aagrees with Mosley. 

“Terence Crawford would beat a prime Mayweather. I said this five years ago. I’m telling you, he would beat him,” Bradley stated