Claressa Shields, it seems, has reached out to Terence Crawford. She has apparently requested an undercard bout when he gets a headline fight in Saudi Arabia. Yes, that’s right, Saudi Arabia. The former undisputed champion is seemingly receiving a voice of support from none other than His Excellency Turki Alalshikh after participating in one of the biggest fights in 2023. But when it boils down to getting his next opponent, it’s been a difficult journey for Terence Crawford ever since.
Even overtures to fellow big star Canelo Alvarez didn’t lead anywhere. On the other hand, the rematch with Errol Spence Jr. also shows no signs of materializing, at least anytime soon. So what options does he have? Time is running out for ‘Bud’, who will turn 37 this September. Considering how Saudi Arabia has now become one of the biggest hubs for international boxing, getting an opportunity to showcase his talents in the Middle Eastern country is not such a bad idea either. Since Claressa Shields already has some experience fighting in Saudi Arabia, an undercard match-up seems quite promising.
Another milestone in the making for Terence Crawford?
“Just have me on the undercard, @terencecrawford!” wrote Shields. She had responded to a tweet the latter posted. Putting on the go-quiet emoticon, ‘Bud’ Crawford replied to an early tweet from His Excellency Turki Alalshikh. The post from the Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority featured Crawford’s picture with shrugging and boxing glove emoticons above it.
Given the American champion’s response, it could only be presumed that some plan might be on the horizon, drawing forth Crawford’s launch in the Middle Eastern country. In recent times, Saudi Arabia has hosted a slew of high-profile, mostly heavyweight matches. After Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua‘s rematch in 2022, the region facilitated the big payday between Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou last year. Then this year, Joshua and Ngannou’s ‘Knockout Chaos’ followed Joshua and Wallin’s December rumble, ‘Day of Reckoning’.
There’s still one more to come. Tyson Fury is taking on Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight championship next month! Needless to say, Saudi Arabia has emerged as a major focal point where many top names in boxing are increasingly converging. So one can only imagine what would happen if the pound-for-pound best boxer finally joined in a big fight. If she ends up getting a chance to fight it out in Saudi Arabia, it won’t be the first time Claressa Shields has gotten the chance to do so.
Claressa Shields: Pushing the Boundaries
Claressa Shields, along with Kelsey DeSantis, walked into history in February, when their bout became the first mixed martial arts fight featuring women to take place in Saudi Arabia. However, when it comes down to boxing, Shields’ fortunes resemble those of Crawford.
In fact, her title defense took place nearly two months before the Crawford-Spence Jr. fight. On June 2, she defeated Maricela Cornejo unanimously to retain her undisputed crown. There have been call-outs to archrival Savannah Marshall. This even saw her gate-crashing the English boxer’s press conference. But there remains hope of the two regrouping for a rematch. More so, since Marshall, like Shields, has also joined the Professional Fighters League (PFL) ranks, there is a chance that they might end up exchanging jabs in the octagon.
