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Keith Thurman says he can get Terence Crawford to 154 pounds

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Image: Keith Thurman Says He Can “Entice” Terence Crawford Back to 154 — If He Beats Sebastian Fundora for the WBC Title

Keith “One Time” Thurman says he believes he can “talk” Terence Crawford back to 154 pounds and fight him for the “green” WBC junior middleweight title by defeating champion Sebastian Fundora.

At first glance, it sounds like a crazy fantasy that Thurman cooked up in his head, thinking he would beat Fundora from “The Towering Inferno” and then take on Crawford and make billions of dollars.

Fundor factor

Thurman (31-1, 23 KO) and Fundora (23-1-1, 15 KO) are scheduled to be postponed to January 24, 2026 or January 31, 2026. Their fight was supposed to take place on October 25, 2025, but Fundora suffered a hand injury and the fight had to be postponed to next year.

“Thurman vs. Crawford, I still think he wants to go back down. I still think it’s something for us,” Keith Thurman said in an interview with Brian Custer podcast about his belief that Terence Crawford will want to return to 154 to face him

Crawford’s silence speaks volumes

What made Thurman think Crawford wanted to go down to 154 pounds? He didn’t say a word about going back to 154 pounds. Since defeating Canelo Alvarez on September 13, he has only said that a 160-pound fight might interest him.

It is believed that he will stay at 168 pounds and wait for Canelo to ask for a rematch as that is his best option for a payday. Crawford would have no desire to fight 37-year-old “One Time” Thurman at 154 for a payday that would likely be tiny compared to the $50 million he just received for fighting Canelo.

Turki’s role in fantasy

Turki Alalshikh would have to be interested in paying for the fight between Crawford and Thurman. I don’t know why he would do that when many younger boxing fans have never seen Thurman fight. They don’t know who he is, except for his appearance: a balding man who appears to be in his forties.

“Man, we should get this thing going. Step in with ‘One Time,’ baby,” Thurman said in his desperate hope that Bud Crawford would want to fight him. “I think I might be able to lure Bud in a bit.”

Bigger game for Bud in 168

There are a lot of things that would have to fall into place for Thurman to have a massive payday fight with Crawford. Here are the things that would need to happen:

  1. Thurman defeats Fundora convincingly
  2. Crawford returns to 154
  3. Turki Alalshikh appreciates this meeting
  4. Bud had to want this fight
  5. Commercial attractiveness

“I don’t know what’s tempting him right now, but I feel like maybe, just maybe, the green belt could entice him just a little bit,” Thurman said of the possibility that Terence might be interested in fighting him if he wins the WBC junior middleweight belt from Sebastian Fundora.

It’s doubtful whether Crawford will see any value in a shot at the WBC 154-pound title if Thurman gets his hands on it by defeating Fundora. Terence, a native of Omaha, Nebraska, has already said that once he leaves the unit, he will never come back.

A return to 154 pounds would be a step back for Crawford. He would face a lot of pressure to fight Jaron “Boots” Ennis as well, and it would be a brutal fight for him at 38 years ancient.

Olly Campbell’s verdict: Keep dreaming, Keith

Bud Crawford is focused on collecting divisional world titles to cement his legacy so he can prove he is seen as one of the four on boxing’s Mount Rushmore. That’s where he’s hung up and that’s why he probably wouldn’t be interested in returning to 154 pounds.

If Thurman wants to fight superstar Crawford, he would have to move up to 168 or 160 pounds. Wherever he is or wherever he’s going, Thurman must be heading in that direction. He cannot assume that he is on an equal footing with Crawford in terms of status and negotiations. This isn’t 2016.

Last update: 21/10/2025

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Sebastian Fundora vs Ermal Hadribeaj Live Results and Fight Updates

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"Sebastian Fundora vs Ermal Hadribeaj Live Results and Fight Updates"

Sebastian Fundora (25-1-1, 17 KOs) stopped Ermal Hadribeaj (23-1-1, 8 KOs) at 2:59 of the 12th round to retain his WBC junior middleweight title for the fourth time. Hadribeaj made the early rounds competitive by getting low, forcing his way inside and landing hard shots while denying the champion room to use his reach.

Short punches, uppercuts and a sustained body attack helped Fundora take control as he began outworking the challenger at close range. Referee Thomas Taylor deducted points from Hadribeaj for holding in the third and 11th rounds as the challenger increasingly tried to tie up the busier champion.

With just one second remaining, a left hand dropped Hadribeaj and brought the fight to an end after Fundora’s pressure and body punching had worn him down.

Super middleweight Armando Resendiz (17-3, 11 KOs) defeated Koen Mazoudier (16-5-1, 6 KOs) by a 10-round unanimous decision in a hard-fought fight. The judges scored it 98-92, 97-93 and 97-93, giving Resendiz a wider victory than the competitive action suggested.

Mazoudier kept coming forward and throwing, making Resendiz work at close range and enjoying success through the middle rounds. Resendiz answered with the heavier punches, hurting the Australian with right hands and left hooks as the two traded throughout.

A sustained attack in the final round left Mazoudier reeling and close to being stopped, but he survived and continued firing back until the bell. Resendiz earned his first victory since losing to Jaime Munguia, while Mazoudier made him fight for it in his U.S. debut.

Marco Romero (16-0, 14 KOs) stopped Braulio Matias Ferreira (8-4, 3 KOs) in the first round of their scheduled eight-round super middleweight fight. The 20-year-old Romero immediately pressed the attack, digging to the body and landing right hands upstairs at close range.

A right hand and left hook to the body helped set up a sweeping right to the chin that dropped Ferreira hard into the ropes. Ferreira beat the count, but he was in no condition to continue, prompting the referee to stop the fight. Romero gave the veteran little chance to settle, keeping him under attack throughout the brief contest. It was the Kansas prospect’s third consecutive first-round stoppage.

Super middleweight Jaime Enrique Osuna Diaz (12-0, 5 KOs) kept his unbeaten record with an eight-round majority decision over Cristian Cangelosi (13-1-1, 5 KOs). The judges scored the competitive bout 77-75, 77-75 and 76-76 on the Sebastian Fundora–Ermal Hadribeaj undercard.

Osuna applied pressure from the start, using his activity and body punching to make Cangelosi work. His best round came in the fifth, when he hurt Cangelosi twice with straight right hands but crowded his own punches while trying to finish.

Cangelosi fought back and had a strong seventh round, landing a big shot to keep the outcome in doubt heading into the eighth. Neither fighter scored a knockdown, with Osuna’s pressure and cleaner work in key stretches earning him the narrow victory.

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Tony Bellew Analyzes Daniel Dubois Knockout Victory Over Fabio Wardley in Rematch

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Tony Bellew Analyzes Daniel Dubois' Knockout Victory Over Fabio Wardley in Rematch

Daniel Dubois sent out a big statement to the rest of the heavyweight division after his knockout win over Fabio Wardley.

The two British heavyweights met at The O2 Arena on Saturday in one of the most anticipated rematches of the year, following on from their epic first battle back in May.

On that occasion, ‘DDD’ had to recover from two early knockdowns to earn the 11th round TKO win to become WBO heavyweight champion, but it was a much more dominant display from Dubois this time around.

The rematch saw ‘DDD’ drop Wardley inside the opening 20 seconds of the bout, before landing even more heavy shots over the next several minutes, forcing the referee to stop the action in the second round as Dubois retained his WBO heavyweight title.

Ahead of the bout, one man that was picking Wardley to cause the upset and be victorious was former WBC cruiserweight champion Tony Bellew, who felt that the Ipswich man was going to get the job done inside six rounds.

Bellew was happy to hold his hands up and admit he was wrong though, as he posted on social media to heap praise on Dubois for his triumph.

“Demolition! Well done to Daniel Dubois.”

Following his win, Dubois has already made it clear who he wants to target next, revealing in his post-fight interview that he wants to meet IBF champion Filip Hrgovic in a unification, in what would be a rematch after ‘DDD’ won their first encounter back in June 2024.

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Daniel Dubois Aims for Title Showdown After Stunning Wardley Knockout

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"Daniel Dubois Aims for Title Showdown After Stunning Wardley Knockout"

Daniel Dubois has wasted no time making his intentions known after his destructive win over Fabio Wardley in their rematch.

The pair went head-to-head at The O2 Arena in London, five months on from their first meeting when Dubois defeated Wardley by 11th round TKO to win the WBO heavyweight title.

It was a much quicker win this time around, with ‘DDD’ dropping Wardley inside the opening 20 seconds of the contest, before continuing the onslaught and earning the second round knockout victory to retain his WBO belt.

Dubois has already named his next target after his win, revealing in his post-fight press conference that he now wants a unification showdown with IBF champion Filip Hrgovic.

“I want to have a rematch with him and get that belt. I want to rule the division. Another win and another scalp. I’m the champion now and I want some big fights now.”

Dubois and Hrgovic have already met back in June 2024, claiming the eighth round stoppage win after the Croatian couldn’t continue due to cuts above both of his eyes.

‘DDD’ went on to become IBF champion after that fight, but he would go on to lose that title to Oleksandr Usyk. After the Ukrainian vacated his belt earlier this year, Hrgovic claimed it with his dramatic win over Moses Itauma in August.

It means Dubois and Hrgovic could now meet in a rematch in 2027, though Hrgovic may have to deal with mandatory challenger Frank Sanchez first, with that bout potentially taking place in Croatia early next year.

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