Terence Crawford, under trainer Brian “BoMac” McIntyre, fought undefeated 42 times before retiring slow last year. Are there any fights left on the table?

The switch-hitter from Omaha, Nebraska won the world championship in five divisions – undisputed in two – and established himself as the best player of the generation. His swan song was a jump in weight to defeat Mexican icon Saul “Canelo” Alvarez.

Crawford is content in his retirement and, unlike many of his peers, he seems to find it uncomplicated to resist returning to the ring. While his skill level is undeniable, a criticism that has been leveled at him from the likes of Canelo and Ryan Garcia is that he doesn’t have many elite names on his record.

I keep talking podcast on the home page“BoMac” was asked if there was any fighter Crawford would like to face in his career, perhaps to further cement his legacy, and without hesitation he mentioned Manny Pacquiao.

“Manny Pacquiao. That would be great.”

Why it didn’t happen McIntyre says promoter Bob Arum, who worked with both fighters when the fight made the most sense, blocked it.

“Vertical [Arum] I just said it the other day. He stopped because he knew how this fight would end. [Pacquiao] he was a cash cow… He didn’t want to spoil the money.”

Crawford previously revealed that he had been pushing for a fight with Pacquiao back in 2015, when he was on his way to becoming the super lightweight world champion, but there were indeed other occasions in the following years where it might have made sense.

Interestingly, “PacMan” also pointed to Crawford as the one who escaped, but he believes that it was Arum who protected the American and not the other way around.

While it appears “Bud” will remain retired, Pacquiao’s career is heading in the opposite direction. The Filipino returned to the professional ranks last year, fighting to a draw with then-WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios. This year, he plans to have a rematch with Floyd Mayweather, although the details of the event are not yet known.

Ortiz claims the sessions took place at De La Hoya’s training camp in Large Bear, where he was invited to aid prepare the boxing superstar for what turned out to be the last fight of his career.

“So I get to training camp in Large Bear. This is my first time talking about this, so Oscar, if I offend you, hey, the truth will set you free,” Ortiz told Fighthype.

“Boom, I say, ‘OK, that’s an effortless jab,’ he throws a straight right. Boom. I dropped him, he kneels.”

“I’m like, ‘Check this out, I’ll finish him off.’ Nacho says, ‘Why are you hitting him so difficult?’ I’m like, ‘I’m working with this guy, he’s a 10-time world champion.’ What are you talking about? Boom again. It’s falling again. He leaves the ring, takes all his stuff and leaves.”

If Ortiz’s memories are right, time may explain what happened.

By the end of 2008, De La Hoya was no longer a fighter who had won Olympic gold and won world titles in multiple weight classes. Golden Boy has already built a Hall of Fame career and has become one of boxing’s biggest crossover stars.

Many observers believe that its decline began many years earlier. De La Hoya lost a decision to Shane Mosley in 2003 and avoided a controversial unanimous decision over Felix Sturm in 2004. A fight that many fans thought was lost. Later that year, Bernard Hopkins stopped him with a body shot in the ninth round.

The weight problem could have made the situation worse. De La Hoya fought at 154 pounds and even fought at middleweight before agreeing to face Pacquiao at welterweight. According to reports, the 35-year-old penultimate to the division went on a diet instead of relying on classic weight loss at the end of the event, which made him look particularly slim at the weigh-in.

Pacquiao dominated the fight eight months after De La Hoya’s victory over Steve Forbes, forcing his corner to stop the fight after the eighth round. De La Hoya announced his departure the following year.

Meanwhile, Ortiz was a youthful fighter entering peak physical condition. In 2011, he won the WBC welterweight title after defeating Andre Berto.

Joe Joyce will return to action against the undefeated heavyweight on July 11, marking his first fight under SugarHill head coach Steward.

The 40-year-old has not fought since April 2025, when he made a sturdy showing of himself before losing a unanimous decision to Filip Hrgovic. Joyce was scheduled to face fellow veteran Dillian Whyte and then face former world title challenger Hrgovic in a grueling 10-round fight when Whyte withdrew due to injury.

before, “Juggernaut” was rejected and scored unanimously by Derek Chisorawhich followed his 10th round victory over Kash Ali in 2024.

Hoping to get back into the win column, Joyce is now preparing to face Russian Artem Suslenkov in the Murat Gassiev vs Tony Yoka fight at Moscow’s VTB Arena.

After making contact with renowned trainer Steward, who is best known for his work with Tyson Fury, Joyce said he was looking forward to meeting the 30-year-old away.

“I have spent the last year preparing, training and wanting to get back into the ring. I am excited to go to Russia and fight for the WBA continental heavyweight title on July 11.

“Thank you IBA Pro for this opportunity. My team and I are locked in and Moscow should prepare for a great performance.”

Suslenkov boasts a professional record of 14-0 (9 KO), and most notably defeated Michael Hunter by eight-round unanimous decision in an IBA Pro match in 2024.

In the heavyweight division, the 6-foot-1 inch has also previously passed Christian Hammer and has stopped fights against Agron Smakici and Artur Mann each time.

Meanwhile, Joyce clearly wants to stay in the sport even after many called for him to retire following back-to-back losses to Zhilei Zhang in 2023.