Terence Crawford hung up the gloves without suffering a defeat, but there is one former world champion who believes he would have knocked out “Bud” if he had agreed to the fight.

Crawford’s superstar has skyrocketed in his recent fights, becoming the undisputed multi-division champion after a spectacular stoppage victory over welterweight rival Errol Spence Jr to finally gain the recognition his skills deserved.

The victory over Israil Madrimov further confirmed Crawford’s talent, but it was true his historic triumph over Canelo Alvarez this earned the Omaha operator recognition as a true great.

However, before moving up to super welterweight and fighting Madrimov, Crawford was linked to a fight with rising 147-pounder Jaron “Boots” Ennis, who would later become the unified welterweight world champion.

I’m talking to Daily Mail.When asked about their fight, the Philadelphia native shared his belief that he would knock out Crawford if they ever came to blows.

“[It would have ended with] I, victorious. I stop [him and] anyone, for sure.

“It’s not like that [just] what should I say, this is what I know. I am like this. Anyone who knows me and is around me knows that the bigger the opportunity, the higher the stakes and stakes – you know how it is. I start revising and I get nasty.

Although Ennis believes Crawford refused to fight him at the time, “Bud” maintains that Ennis had the opportunity to face him earlier in his career before he fought Shawn Porter in 2020.

Moses Itauma was originally scheduled to return on July 25 in London, but the announcement of a “warm-up” fight between Anthony Joshua and Kristian Prenga on the same day in Saudi Arabia forced a change.

Itauma was last eliminated in March when he became the first to defeat American heavyweight Jermaine Franklin. It was the 14th win and 12th knockout of the teenage Briton’s campaign so far as his team continues to raise the bar in preparation for the inevitable world title fight.

The fight with Franklin was postponed from January due to Itauma’s biceps injury during training camp. If everything went according to plan, he could be guaranteed three fights in 2026. That is still a possibility, but he has now been forced to move the promotion from July to August due to a date clash with former unification champion Joshua, who is fighting this summer with the intention of announcing a then long-awaited fight with Tyson Fury at the end of the year.

I keep talking performance by Ariel Helwanipromoter Frank Warren has confirmed that his teenage protégé will now move to August 8, with the performance still taking place at London’s O2 Arena. Itauma will be the main star, talks are ongoing with potential opponents, but nothing has been signed yet.

Itauma is number one in the WBA and WBO rankings, five in the IBF and two in the WBC. He has been called up by regular WBA champion Murat Gassiev, which could be a significant fight if super champion Oleksandr Usyk vacates the belt soon.

The 21-year-old could soon be named as mandatory challenger for the WBO belt, according to president Gustavo Olivieri, currently held by Fabio Wardley. Wardley will defend his title against Daniel Dubois this weekend in Manchester. If he stays, it is unlikely his next defense will be against Itauma as they both have the same coach, Ben Davison. If Dubois wins and becomes a two-time champion, this fight will sell itself.

In addition to the title, Itauma’s team will also be joyful with a top player who will be able to present a different style or level of threat as he continues to develop.

Wardley arrives via a completely different route. He had to recover from fights, take punishment and constantly finish overdue, building his position in tough fights against opponents like Justis Huni and Joseph Parker. This pattern, losing rounds and still closing out the fight, has become part of his victories and is central to his perception of this fight.

Fabio openly admitted that Dubois beat him in sparring years ago, long before he turned professional.

“I have no qualms about saying he hit me,” Wardley said of the sessions from seven or eight years ago. “But I would have begged him not to take anything from that spar and bring it to now, because this was a guy who had just laced up his gloves.”

By this stage Dubois was already a decorated amateur and considered a future force, while Wardley was learning on the job. The gap has since narrowed, with Wardley pointing to how each man reacts when the fight changes as the real difference between them.

“I don’t think it’s fair. If things don’t go his way, he dives in, and if they don’t go my way, I stay the course,” Wardley said.

This belief ties into another point Wardley noticed during the preparation: the instability around Dubois outside the ring. Coaching and camp changes followed key moments in his career, and Wardley sees it as a sign of where the responsibility falls when something goes wrong.

“It seems iffy. Whenever there’s a fight or something goes wrong, you immediately blame the coach and look for another one. Maybe that will be you,” Wardley said.

Dubois’ recent loss to Oleksandr Usyk would normally force the heavyweight to rebuild his fights, but instead he goes straight back into title contention. This decision has as much to do with position and market value as it does with results, and gives this fight a different feel than a standard defense.

Wardley is trying to prove that he belongs at the top and that the tour has prepared him for it. Dubois is trying to show that the defeat hasn’t changed where he stands. One is to strengthen what he has built. The second one is given a chance to skip a step.