Will next wave of 147-pounders provide foes for Terence Crawford?

OPINION

“Who is Terence Crawford going to fight?”

By now, Top Rank CEO Bob Arum has had to field this question more times and answer it in more creative ways than any other the past year or more. And, yes, we know that Crawford has a next opponent, Lithuanian contender Egidijus Kavaliauskas on December 14 at Madison Square Garden. That’s not the point.

Crawford, a three-division champion and current titleholder of one of the four welterweight belts, has seen his status dwindle ever since he stepped into the welterweight deep-pool. He bludgeoned poor Jeff Horn to pick up a WBO gewgaw and defended it successfully against no-hopers in gimpy-legged Jose Benavidez Jr. and weak-chinned Amir Khan. He’s expected to dominate Kavaliauskas, a competent but untested contender.

That raises the question again, reframed a bit differently: “When is Terence Crawford going to have a meaningful welterweight fight? 

It may never happen because of this era’s nearly impenetrable promotional walls. Almost all of the top fighters in the division, including Errol Spence, Shawn Porter, Manny Pacquiao, Keith Thurman and Danny Garcia, are aligned with Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions. And in this day and age Arum and Haymon don’t do too much business together

There is some hope that Spence and Crawford might meet at some point because Spence has said repeatedly that he wants the fight but there is no telling whether it could actually happen, particularly in light of Spence’s recent car crash.

Which is a shame, as Crawford, a switch-hitter with an unalloyed mean streak, deserves to be seen against the best that the division has to offer.

Arum, however, may have something up his sleeve.

On the Everlast TalkBox podcast earlier this week, Arum offered a possible direction for his ace 147-pounder.

“He is going to fight the best possible guy around,” Arum said. “Before long, we’ll have all these great 140-pounders going to 147.”

One of those great 140-pounders is Arum’s own Jose Ramirez, the partially unified junior welterweight who has drawn tremendous crowds in California’s Central Valley. Ramirez, a no-nonsense pressure fighter, is coming off a sensational knockout of Maurice Hooker in July. A Crawford-Ramirez fight would certainly sell.

And there are a few other similar options, including Josh Taylor, who outpointed Regis Prograis to unify two 140-pound titles Saturday in London. The Scotsman has already called out Ramirez but could grow out of the division fairly soon. A Crawford-Taylor fight down the line also would be attractive to fans.

The problem with those potential matchups? Victories over 140-pounders moving up in weight wouldn’t necessarily strengthen Crawford’s claim to being the best at 147. He would have to beat one or two of the established welterweights to make that statement. And, sadly, time is not on the Nebraskan’s side. Crawford just turned 32 in September.

Alas, with Crawford’s chances at getting fights with the PBC welterweights slim, he and Arum might have to settle for the likes of Ramirez, Taylor or someone currently not in the picture.

For the marooned welterweight, it may be the only plan.