Terence Crawford has faced select top-class players throughout his career, but there was one player who coach Brian “BoMac” McIntyre deemed a real threat to his protégé’s dominance.

As the undisputed champion of three divisions, it’s safe and sound to say that “Bud” never shied away from a formidable challenge, even if it meant putting himself at a significant disadvantage.

His fight with Canelo Alvarez, for example, saw the extraordinary technician move up two weight classes and dethroned the Mexican with a remarkable unanimous decision victory last September.

Similarly, many felt that Crawford was clearly the underdog before us his fight with Errol Spence Jr. in 2023only to score a ruthless ninth-round finish and unify all four major welterweight titles.

But according to longtime head coach “BoMac,” Crawford came closest to his only professional loss in 2019, six years before he retired from the sport.

The American was then defending his WBO welterweight title against Egidijus Kavaliauskas, also known as “Mean Machine”, who was not only undefeated, but also boasted an impressive knockout to victory ratio.

I’m talking to Podcast on the front pageMcIntyre credited Kavaliauskas with forcing Crawford to change his tactics after the third round, when “Bud” jumped out of the ring after being deemed a no-knockdown.

“That motherfucker just kept coming and coming. He didn’t stop. For the first few rounds, he only had Bud’s number because he was punching before Bud and punching after Bud.

“It was like, ‘Damn, dog – you [Crawford] I have to pick it up.”

Ultimately, Crawford managed to secure a ninth-round victory over Kavaliauskas, but he had to dig deep into his tool bag to win. The record-breaking star later said that “Mean Machine” was one of the hardest hits he had ever faced.

“Well, you never know. You know what I mean? I think he can make that weight if he wants to,” Prince told Fighthype about the fight between Shakur and Haney.

“But like I told him, Shakur weighs 135 pounds. They weigh 147. So out of 12 pounds, we’re willing to take eight. We’re not even saying we’ll meet halfway.”

“So you never know. I don’t count them because certain numbers often change a person’s mind, right? You never know.”

Prince also said there are ongoing discussions about Stevenson fighting next after recently winning the WBO 140-pound welterweight title.

“It’s up in the air. We’re regrouping. We’re planning again and people will know about it very soon,” Prince said.

Shakur moved up earlier this year and defeated Teofimo Lopez to win the WBO 140-pound title. Stevenson already held titles in three weight classes before moving up to 140.

Haney continued competing at welterweight after moving up from 140 pounds following fights against Ryan Garcia, Brian Norman Jr. and Mario Barrios.

Prince also mentioned undefeated lightweight title challenger Abdullah Mason, who returns to his hometown of Cleveland this month.

“I’m excited, first of all, that Abdullah Mason is fighting at home,” Prince said.

“I have a long history with Cleveland, Chicago, Detroit, the entire Midwest was one of the first to embrace my Rap-A-Lot movement.

“They should be really proud of their child.”

After Saturday’s heavyweight classic, one of the key topics of conversation was whether Fabio Wardley’s corner should have pulled his man out earlier, and former cruiserweight world champion Tony Bellew shared his view on the matter.

Wardley defended his WBO heavyweight title against Daniel Dubois, but despite two early knockdowns starting in the seventh round, it quickly became clear that the champion was fading.

With Dubois attacking and attacking, the once even fight slowly became one-sided, and after two doctor checks and continued attacking, referee Howard Foster finally intervened in round 11.

While many viewers questioned whether manager Ben Davison should have saved Wardley from an unnecessary penalty, Bellew defended the coach during a TV interview Fight Your Corner Podcast.

“I’m not like many others. I don’t think it should have been stopped earlier. I think the referee did a great job. I don’t think the towel should have been thrown in earlier for the straightforward reason that Fabio Wardley has already shown on many occasions, that he never takes him out of a fight.

“Even if he’s miles behind, even if he’s been injured in a fight, he can pull his hand out of the bag at any time, and for that reason alone, that’s why he should have been allowed to continue playing.

“This is the reason why players like Arturo Gatti were able to continue playing against players like Micky Ward. With his neck up against the ropes and getting punched in the face regularly and Frank Cappuccino [referee] let’s leave it alone, it’s because of the history it has. So they allowed this fight to continue and in my opinion they were right.

“You’ll never make fights truly magical unless you allow the carnage to unfold.”

After a precautionary check-up at a nearby hospital, it was confirmed that Wardley was not seriously injured in the fight. The Ipswich fan favorite could now act his rematch clause and will try to take revenge for the first defeat in his professional career, becoming a two-time heavyweight ruler.