Terence Crawford Could Beat Floyd Mayweather Jr., Says Former Unified Champion

Former unified light-welterweight champion Amir Khan believes Terence Crawford would give Floyd Mayweather Jr. a run for his money if both undefeated greats faced off inside the ring.

Having faced Crawford in a welterweight title bout in 2019, Khan knows what it’s like to be on the receiving end of the champ’s vicious toolbox. And although their fight ended in a strange fashion, the British boxer had seen enough to call Bud the best fighter he has ever faced.

“Look, when I was in the ring with him, after one or two rounds, I started to get my rhythm, but I have to say he’s the best fighter I’ve faced,” Khan told Fighthub.

Khan failed to capture Crawford’s WBO belt after he refused to continue the bout at the sixth round following an accidental low blow from the defending champion, much to the dismay of the sellout crowd inside Madison Square Garden.

Crawford accused Khan of quitting the fight, saying the low blow was just the latter’s excuse to escape more punishment from him. At post-fight, Khan dismissed the claim and insisted that he was really hit below the belt.

But despite the allegation, Khan was willing to get off his high horse and continued to give Crawford the credit he deserved.

“Every fighter I’ve lost previously is when I was up on points, and obviously got caught with a big shot and was knocked out or whatever. With Crawford, his timing was so on point,” added Khan.

“What a great fighter he was, a technician. His timing was amazing, and everything he had about the game plan that he had with the game plan for the fight."

As he continued to rave about his former rival, Khan highlighted Crawford’s top-notch boxing IQ – an element in the game that the retired Mayweather Jr. had taken pride in.

In-fight adjustments are said to be the bread and butter of Mayweather, but Khan thinks Crawford is built the same.

“I think the only fighter that would be a good fight for him technically would be Mayweather,” he said. “But I really think he’d beat Mayweather as well.”