Terence Crawford could be the next major boxing star heading to Saudi Arabia.
Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh posted a picture of ‘Bud’ to his social media earlier today with a shrugging emoji and boxing glove, appearing to tease a possible link-up between the pair.
Crawford stoked the flames further as he responded with two shushing emojis.
Alalshikh is the most influential man in boxing right now and has been putting on cards for the last 12 months that would otherwise be the stuff of fantasy.
The Chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority is the driving force behind the upcoming undisputed heavyweight showdown between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk on May 18.
And most recently he funded Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou’s crossover clash in March.
Alalshikh seems set on working with all the top names in the sport so it makes sense for him to be eyeing up a deal with the pound-for-pound king of boxing, Crawford.
The 36-year-old has been out of action since July last year when he stopped Errol Spence to become the first undisputed welterweight champion of the four-belt era.
He has been linked with several different opportunities over the last few months but it is proving to be a nightmare for Crawford to get anything over the line.
The first fight to fall by the wayside was a rematch with Spence.
Big Fish’ activated the two-way rematch clause in their contract shortly after the conclusion of their inaugural encounter.
However, esteemed boxing journalist Dan Rafael reported in February that the fight is unlikely to take place due to a ‘variety of reasons’, including Spence enduring a lengthy stint on the sidelines after undergoing cataract surgery.
Crawford’s attention then turned to a bout with newly-crowned WBC and WBO super-welterweight champion Sebastian Fundora.
But again that bout has hit a snag following reports suggesting Fundora and Tim Tszyu are targeting a rematch for November in Las Vegas.
It is presently unclear which fight is in the pipeline for Crawford although hardcore boxing fans would love to see him in a blockbuster dust-up with Jarron ‘Boots’ Ennis next.
