By Keith Idec

Terence Crawford contended Saturday that he didn’t demand $7 million to fight Manny Pacquiao.

Crawford used Twitter to refute a rumor that spread this week regarding his asking price for a pay-per-view showdown with the Filipino superstar.

Here is what Crawford Tweeted from his verified account, @budcrawford402: Just to clear the air I “Terence Crawford ” never asked for 7mill to fight @mannypacquiao there was no conversation of me even fighting him.

Crawford presumably meant there was not a conversation regarding a Pacquiao fight between him and Bob Arum, whose company, Top Rank Inc., promotes Pacquiao and Crawford. Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s trainer, told a group of reporters earlier this week that Crawford asked for a $7 million purse to fight Pacquiao.

“[Arum] wants the Crawford fight,” Roach said Wednesday before a question-and-answer session with Miguel Cotto and James Kirkland in Manhattan. “I know that. I think Crawford supposedly asked for $7 million, and they said no. But I know someday, if we’re gonna stay in boxing, we’re gonna have to fight this guy. And I figure we better fight him earlier than later.”

On Monday, The Manila Bulletin posted a story in which Michael Koncz, Pacquiao’s longtime adviser, stated that Pacquiao (59-6-2, 38 KOs) wants a $20 million guarantee for fighting Crawford (30-0, 21 KOs), the highly skilled WBC, WBO super lightweight champion from Omaha, Nebraska.

Crawford added this Tweet regarding Pacquiao’s supposed demand: Let alone money so cut it with all the he say she say stuff going around and if I did sh*t he asked for 20mill so who priced they self out

Boxing fans have wanted to see a Pacquiao-Crawford fight for more than year. Pacquiao instead won unanimous decisions against former welterweight champions Timothy Bradley and Jessie Vargas in his two fights last year.

Now that a fight against Crawford and a rematch with retired Floyd Mayweather Jr. don’t appear likely for Pacquiao’s next appearance, Arum has turned his attention to a Pacquiao-Jeff Horn bout.

Australia’s Horn (16-0-1, 11 KOs) is mostly unknown to American fight fans, but he is the WBO’s No. 2-ranked contender to Pacquiao’s WBO welterweight title. A hold has been placed on Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Australia, for April 23 in case the Pacquiao-Horn fight can be made.

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.