Terrence Crawford is not exciting

Mike Tyson has never been one to mince words, and when it comes to Terence Crawford, he’s no different. Despite Crawford being the best fighter in the world right now, Tyson thinks there’s something missing. Not skill, not talent, but something that draws people in - something exciting.

During a recent interview with tennis star Nick Kyrgios, Tyson opened up about his view on Crawford. “Look, Terence Crawford… he’s the best fighter in the world, but he can’t draw 5,000 people,” Tyson said. It’s a blunt assessment of the current state of boxing, especially when you compare it to Tyson’s own era or even further back to the days of Muhammad Ali or Sugar Ray Leonard.

Tyson remembers a time when being the best fighter also meant being able to fill an arena, to light up the sport in a way that made the world pay attention. Back in the ‘80s, it wasn’t just about skill in the ring. It was about showmanship, about delivering the kind of fights people would talk about for years. “We made a lot of money when we were fighting for our time,” Tyson explained, noting how smaller fighters like Roberto Duran or Tommy Hearns were pulling in serious money because they had both the skill and the ability to captivate a crowd. “These guys are making $15 million in the 80s. That’s like $45 million now.”

But times have changed. Tyson argues that while more people can watch fights now thanks to technology, something’s been lost in the process. Crawford, for all his talent, just doesn’t have that magnetism, that electricity in the ring that Tyson believes separates the great from the legendary. “You have to be entertaining. You have to be exciting,” Tyson said, adding that without that, even the best fighters will struggle to pull in a crowd. He likened watching some of these fighters to “watching grass grow.”

Crawford’s recent bout against Israil Madrimov in Saudi Arabia did little to change this perception. While it was billed as a big event, questions remain about how well it actually sold. Pay-Per-View numbers weren’t earth-shattering, and the attendance figures are still murky. Tyson’s comments suggest that, for all the talent in the world, Crawford just doesn’t have the pull of past champions.

Tyson isn’t saying Crawford isn’t good - far from it. He acknowledges that Crawford is the best in the world right now. But being the best fighter doesn’t automatically make you the most exciting. And in boxing, excitement often drives the sport as much as raw talent does.

It’s a tough position for someone like Crawford, who has proven time and again that he can outbox just about anyone. But Tyson’s words ring true: the great fighters of the past weren’t just great because they won; they were great because they brought something extra into the ring. Whether it was Ali’s charisma, Leonard’s flair, or Tyson’s raw power, they had the ability to make people care. And in Tyson’s eyes, that’s where Crawford falls short.

Boxing today is in a strange place. It’s filled with talented fighters, but few seem to grab the spotlight in the same way Tyson and others did decades ago. Tyson’s point is that being a star in the ring isn’t enough - you’ve got to be a star outside of it, too. And for now, Crawford is missing that spark, that elusive quality that draws in 5,000 people without breaking a sweat.

It’s hard to say whether Crawford can change that, or if the sport itself is shifting in a way where sheer talent isn’t enough to pack arenas. But Tyson’s take is clear: being the best in the world is one thing, but in the world of boxing, it’s the excitement that fills the seats.