It's Canelo Alvarez or bust for Terence Crawford, according to DAZN's Chris Mannix.
Crawford remains at the top of the boxing world after becoming WBA light middleweight champion with his win against Israil Madrimov in Auguist, making the 37-year-old a four-weight world champion.
The pound-for-pound great has accrued a perfect 41-0 record throughout his stellar career, and now Crawford has the ability to sit and wait for the best possible fight to come along.
While there are many intriguing possible match-ups for 'Bud', Mannix believes only a fight against fellow superstar Alvarez would entice Crawford back into the ring.
Speaking in a DAZN roundtable, Mannix recalled interviewing Crawford immediately after the Madrimov fight and asking him why Canelo is the ultimate target.
Simply put, a Canelo vs. Crawford fight would bring in the most amount of money.
"He even said to me in the ring right after, when I asked him about why he wants that Canelo fight, it's like, 'it's not so much that I want it, it's like there's a payday that comes with it, it's a nice cheque that comes along with it,'" Mannix explained.
"That's the only fight out there that generates the kind of revenue that can get Terence Crawford out of bed and back in the gym and get ready for a big fight."
While Crawford sees Canelo as the ideal super fight, Mannix suggested that younger stars such as Teofimo Lopez and Vergil Ortiz Jr. aspire to face Bud before he walks away from the sport for good.
However, Mannix doesn't believe anyone else could convince Crawford to put on the gloves once more.
"You know Teofimo's out there trying to make something happen [with Crawford]," he said. "You know, Vergil is out there probably trying to make something happen.
"But the only guy I think they can get Terence Crawford back in the ring is going to be Canelo Alvarez."
Black Friday offer - huge saving on a DAZN boxing subscription
DAZN's Black Friday offer gives fight fans huge savings to watch the most exciting fight nights for even cheaper.
A limited time offer, UK viewers get up to 33% off their subscription, while US customers get up to 50%, whether signing up for the first time or renewing a lapsed account.
For an annual subscription, that is now only £89.99, reduced from £119.99, in the UK, and $112.50 down from $224.99 in the US.
DAZN is the home of boxing, broadcasting over 150 fights a year across boxing, bare knuckle boxing, MMA and crossover boxing.
Signing up before November 12, with both annual and monthly options, will get you a ringside seat to the biggest fights still to come this year and into 2025.
That includes Sunny Edwards vs. Galal Yafai, Jaron Ennis vs. Karen Chukhadzhian, Gilberto Ramirez vs. Chris Billam-Smith, Jesse Rodriguez vs. Pedro Guevara, Liam Paro vs. Richardson Hitchins, and many more still to come.
Sign up here for a DAZN subscription
More Boxing
- Boxing full schedule and calendar
- DAZN's upcoming Boxing shows
- Boxing rankings
- Boxing champions list in every division
- Fighter profiles and highlights
- How do weight classes work?
- What are the major boxing titles?
- How is boxing scored?