Bob Arum's U-turn: Willingness to Re-sign Terence Crawford

Following a contentious split from long-time promoter Top Rank after his victory against Shawn Porter in 2021, Crawford has collaborated with BLK Prime (for his win against David Avanesyan) and PBC (for his significant victory against Errol Spence Jr.).

His next challenge will be on August 3, as he aims to secure a title in a fourth weight class against WBA junior middleweight titleholder Israel Madrimov. This fight will headline a Matchroom Boxing event funded by Saudi Arabian power broker Turki Alalshikh.

Despite the past rift, Top Rank boss Bob Arum is open to reconciling with Crawford to resume their working relationship.

"I never take anything personally. It's a business," Arum told BoxingScene. "If we had the right fighter at the right money, and it satisfied Crawford, would we do a Crawford fight? Of course, we would."

In a recent interview with ESPN, Crawford expressed his appreciation for the respect shown to him by Alalshikh, who is also working behind the scenes to arrange a potential fight between Crawford and Canelo Alvarez. Crawford stated,

"There's a lot of respect that comes with Turki and myself. He's seen the road that I had to take to get to where I am now. And he just wanted to display respect for the sport of boxing."

Arum and Crawford had a tumultuous relationship towards the end of their partnership. Arum, a 92-year-old Hall of Fame promoter, remarked that Crawford wasn’t a pay-per-view draw and that Top Rank lost money on his fights. Crawford eventually sued Top Rank for breach of contract and claimed racial bias in January 2022.

While Top Rank's roster at 154 pounds, the division Crawford intends to compete in, is limited, they could offer him a fight against unified middleweight champion Janibek Alimkhanuly if he decides to move between weight classes.