Former two-weight undisputed champion Terence Crawford is aiming to do what few have managed—defeat Canelo Alvarez in his own division. Since making super middleweight his permanent home in December 2020, the Mexican superstar has ruled the weight class with an iron grip, unifying it in the process.
Challengers came and went, but Canelo Alvarez remained a constant force in the division, ultimately becoming its first undisputed champion. His venture into light heavyweight ended in a loss to Dmitry Bivol, a reminder of how treacherous moving up in weight can be. That’s exactly what makes Terence Crawford’s jump to 168 so intriguing—and dangerous.
The pair is expected to lock horns in September later this year if ‘Cinnamon’ successfully becomes a two-time undisputed super middleweight champion on May 3rd against the current IBF titleholder William Scull. Meanwhile, Crawford has attracted many doubters and critics, who overly emphasize his last fight against Israil Madrimov to expose the flaws in Crawford’s armor at a higher weight class.
While appearing in a recent interview with Shannon Sharpe on Club Shay Shay, ‘Bud’ was forced to address all those concerns, as he revealed his approach to the weight disadvantage. “The people that personally know me, they [are] like, ‘Man, I don’t know why they doubting that boy,’” Crawford reacted initially.
August 2, 2024, Los Angeles, California, USA: Former three weight world champion and pound for pound stalwart Terence ÃâËBudÃââ Crawford 40-0 steps on the scale to weigh in for his bout with WBA Super welterweight champion Israil Madrimov Los Angeles USA – ZUMAd151 20240802_znp_d151_024 Copyright: xAdamxDelGiudicex
However, he claimed that he was “cool” with all of it because “I need the doubters to fuel me… that makes me get up and turn into Super Saiyan.” When asked whether he believes his power would be enough at 168 pounds to beat Canelo Alvarez, he was quick with his response. “Of course, I think if you can punch, you can punch.”
However, he was forced to admit the bitter truth. “It may not have the same effect that it did on a bigger guy…” Yet, Crawford seems to have a plan to counter Canelo’s power. “And I don’t [have] to knock him out, I just [have] to beat him,” Crawford said confidently. He explained that most people think—because a boxer can punch harder, his opponent would lose for sure.
“No, it’s a lot of fighters that lost, and they punched way harder than the fighter that they lost to,” he added. Crawford’s confidence is commendable, his skills are too, but he is not the only one brimming with it.
Ahead of the Terence Crawford fight, Canelo Alvarez is contemplating retirement
Ahead of his potential super-fight with Terence Crawford, Canelo Alvarez is beginning to think about retirement. The 34-year-old Mexican superstar, who turns 35 in July, remains laser-focused as he prepares to face William Scull on May 3 in Riyadh. Alvarez, now in his 20th year as a pro, isn’t showing signs of decline.
“I feel like I’m in my prime,” he told The Ring. “If you put me in a fight with 28, 27, 26-year-old Canelo Alvarez, I would beat him.” Still, retirement is on his radar. “I’m gonna do these four fights and we’ll see what happens after that,” he said. “I always said like 37 is what I think [as a retirement age], but we don’t know yet.”
Having said that, it’s safe to say Terence Crawford doesn’t see the weight difference as a hurdle in the Canelo Alvarez fight. However, only time will tell whether his confidence will translate into reality. Until then, do you agree with Crawford?
The post “May Not Have the Same Effect”: Terence Crawford Gets Real About Canelo Alvarez Fight After Moving Up 2 Weight Classes appeared first on EssentiallySports.
