Despite five-weight world champion Terence Crawford repeatedly insisting his fighting days are over, Saudi matchmaker Turki Alalshikh refuses to accept retirement as the final answer. On Alalshikh’s latest wishlist of blockbuster fights targeted for 2026 and 2027, Crawford stands out as the only retired fighter—and the only one listed twice.
Either Alalshikh is convinced that Saudi Arabia’s financial power can lure the Omaha legend back into the ring, or he knows something the boxing world hasn’t caught onto yet.
Turki’s Ultimate Wishlist
When asked about Crawford’s future during a Q&A session, Alalshikh remained confident: “I have a feeling he will be back.” His dream board for 2026/2027 features high-stakes matchups across combat sports:
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Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua
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Jai Opetaia vs David Benavidez
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Shakur Stevenson vs Devin Haney
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Naoya Inoue vs Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez
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Filip Hrgovic vs Rico Verhoeven
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Terence Crawford mega-fights
Four Firestorm Options for Crawford
While Crawford continues to attend fights purely as a fan, insisting his legacy is complete, potential showdowns keep mounting:
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Canelo Alvarez: The ultimate pay-per-view blockbuster that has lingered in the background since Crawford stepped away.
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Ryan Garcia: A heated social media feud erupted after Garcia’s win over Conor Benn. Crawford clapped back: “You have nothing to be jealous of, kid. I retired my way. Worry about Haney, Shakur, or Teofimo Lopez!”—yet the matchup remains massive.
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Jaron Ennis: Escalated tensions after calling Crawford “easy work” to his face during a heated ringside encounter.
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Middleweight Title Run: A potential move to 160 lbs to conquer yet another weight class.
Crawford maintains that his gloves are hung up for good. However, with boxing’s most influential powerbroker keeping his name at the very top of his agenda, the story of Terence Crawford may not be finished just yet.
