It doesn't matter if there's a global pandemic: Terence Crawford knows his worth and won't accept anything less.
The WBO welterweight champion said on DAZN's "The Ak and Barak Show" on Monday that he won't be taking paycuts to fight this year, even if he has to fight without fans to fund the gate.
"They've got to figure it out," Crawford said. "I took paycuts for years just to get where I am now. A lot of people don't know what I've been through, but taking paycuts and taking this for this and taking that for that, I sacrificed a lot to get where I am now — more than probably any fighter in the game right now."
That being said, Crawford still thinks he might get the opportunity he's looking for this year, with rumors of a potential fight with Manny Pacquiao heating up.
"If that fight presents itself, it's going to be more money than I've ever made in my career," Crawford said. "I think that fight can get made, get worked out however it would be."
"But at the same time, he's dealing with the same issue that I'm dealing with. Every top fighter is dealing with the same issue, you know, it's not like I'm the only one dealing with this. When you look at all these other fighters and 'Who are they going to fight? How are they going to get paid?' — that's the big dilemma right now. The fighters in England and overseas, they can't come over here to fight, so they're stuck over there, so what about them? This is all messed up right now."
This isn't the first time that Crawford has addressed pay as fighters face the possibility of fighting behind closed doors for the foreseeable future. Last month, Crawford's promoter, Bob Arum, said he understands his position, but also wouldn't hesitate to take the "next man up" approach.
“If a fighter said ‘no, I don’t want to fight without an audience’ or you have to pay me more, that’s okay,” Arum told DAZN's Chris Mannix. “I respect that. Next man up. … Again, nobody can force anybody to fight and nobody can force a promoter to use them. I’m going to have to use those fighters who have managers who realize the situation they are in."