The pound-for-pound icon turned down Terence Crawford in a fantastic 168-pound bout, firmly believing that his speed would prove too much for the naturally smaller man.
Crawford made a monumental statement by moving up to super middleweight and toppled Canelo Alvarez to become the undisputed three-division champion.
This remarkable feat took place in September when “Bud” delivered a career-defining performance to decisively overtake Canelo and capture his four major belts.
But while his performance was truly impressive, there’s no denying that the 38-year-old’s frame has always been better suited to the lower weight classes.
For example, the 147-pound Crawford finished in the distance in each of his appearances before finally dethroning Errol Spence Jr. a decisive ninth-round stoppage victory in 2023.
With the Omaha fighter winning world titles at 135 pounds, 140 pounds and 154 pounds, many suspected that his assignment against Canelo would simply be a step too far.
But that night, Crawford used virtually every weapon in his arsenal to prove that size is only half the battle in fights like this.
Nevertheless, former multi-weight world champion Roy Jones Jr remains confident he could beat “Bud” at 168 pounds.
Not only would Jones boast about his glaring size advantage, but he also believes his speed was perhaps beyond what Crawford had ever experienced before.
That, combined with his largely enigmatic style, led Jones to tell Boxing News that unlike Canelo, he would ultimately be a step too far for the five-division world champion.
“I like Terence – Terence is a very good player – but he grew up on Roy Jones. It’s tough to say that these guys [would have] Roy Jones shouted as they keep asking Roy Jones questions about how he did it.
“It’s tough to beat Roy Jones if you don’t fully understand him. It would be an intriguing fight [with Crawford] because he has heart and confidence and is a very demanding guy – that’s why I knew he would beat Canelo because he can rise to the challenge.
“But I was a different guy. I was a lot faster than 99 percent of the people I fought.”
Crawford’s next move is currently unknown, but it seems likely that he will drop down to middleweight in search of world trophies in another division.