Terence Crawford’s spectacular win over Errol Spence Jr. has given him worldwide attention. Heading in, most were under the assumption that the two were practically on the same playing field. However, after nine incredibly one-sided rounds, Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) proved that he was the clearcut better fighter, at least that night.
With the Omaha, Nebraska, native dropping and brutally stopping him, Crawford’s name has now been mentioned amongst the all-time greats. Considering that Floyd Mayweather spent the majority of his career near the top of the pound-for-pound mountain around the same time Crawford was making his own mark, a fantasy matchup between them has been discussed at nausea.
Dissecting the two fighters is an intriguing discussion point for Shane Mosley. For years now, the former multi-divisional champ has watched Crawford’s career closely. In addition to doing so, Mosley knows exactly what it felt like to jump into the ring with Mayweather.
In 2010, Mosley confidently sauntered to the squared circle with one goal on his mind, hand Mayweather his first defeat. In the opening round, Mosley got off to a strong start, rocking his man on two separate occasions. Ultimately, while it was practically a perfect way to kick off his upset bid, Mayweather made the adjustment before cruising to a unanimous decision victory.
On numerous occasions, Mosley has been asked to give his opinion on who would come out on top in their conjectural showdown. Initially, Mosley shrugged his shoulders and simply rattled off several reasons as to why both men could topple the other.
“Crawford hits hard,” said Mosley during an interview with The Art Of Dialogue. “Crawford is very strong. He has long arms, southpaw, right-handed and he’s coming to get you. I could see Mayweather outboxing him but I can also see Crawford catching him with one of those funny uppercuts.”
Listing the attributes of both fighters, while appreciated, didn’t answer the overarching question of who would come out on top if the two officially clashed. Mosley, however, broke Mayweather down into two segments.
During the first part of his career, Mayweather went by the moniker, “Pretty Boy Floyd.” That version of Mayweather fought aggressively and often got his man out of there before the sound of the final bell. As his career continued to evolve, the former five-division champ changed his alias and went by “Money” Mayweather.
Although both personas were the same man, they fought two completely different styles. The defensive and risk-averse “Money” Mayweather still went on to put together an undefeated career. Oftentimes, nevertheless, he enlisted the help of the three judges sitting ringside.
Depending on the version that Crawford faced, Mosley’s opinion on their mouthwatering matchup varies.
“Money Mayweather, I think Crawford beats. Pretty Boy, I think it might be Pretty Boy because he’s more aggressive.”