Coach Stephen Edwards believes Terence Crawford has sufficient dimension, energy, conditioning, and technical expertise to maneuver as much as 168 and defeat unified tremendous middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez.
Edwards thinks that Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) couldn’t beat David Benavidez, David Morrell, Artur Beterbiev, or Dmitry Bivol. These guys are too large and too technical for the 37-year-old Crawford. However the 34-year-old Canelo (62-2-2, 39 KOs) is beginning to present indicators of age, and he’s beatable for Crawford.
Susceptible Champion
Canelo will flip 35 on July 18th, and he’s did not knock out his final six opponents. His final knockout got here three years in the past towards Caleb Plant on November 6, 2021.
The Mexican star has not indicated that he’s going to combat Crawford, and he received’t conform to the match except he feels he can win. His internet price is estimated at $250 million. So, no matter cash Turki Alalshikh might supply Alvarez wouldn’t entice him to take the Crawford combat except he needed it. He’s already bought sufficient dough to stay wealthy for 20 lifetimes, and he can proceed to make many tens of millions per combat, taking simple opposition.
“Sure, I feel he can go as much as 168 and combat sure folks. Do I feel he can combat Benavidez or Morrell? No, they’re too large, too expert, and too tall. That will be loads to beat,” mentioned Stephen Edwards to Fighthype, speaking about Terence Crawford being too small to combat Benavidez or Morrell at tremendous middleweight.
“Canelo comes from the smaller weights and is similar peak as Crawford. I really assume Crawford is somewhat taller. Crawford’s arms are manner longer, and he has the a lot better gasoline tank. I’ve by no means seen Crawford drained.
“Canelo let’s guys off the hook these days that when he was on his finest run, he would usually cease them. Now, he’s letting them off the hook as a result of he doesn’t have that further push in his gasoline tank. If Bud fought Canelo at 168, Bud could be stuffed with energy. He would be capable to eat no matter he needed to eat at any time of day,” mentioned Edwards.
Crawford is getting fairly outdated, too, at 37, and he virtually misplaced his debut at 154 towards Israil Madrimov on August third. He received’t be capable to win rounds towards Canelo with the weak pictures he was touchdown towards Madrimov. These punches appeared weak in comparison with when he was combating at 147, 140 and 135.
The judges will give Canelo the rounds towards Crawford, even when he’s outworked. If Canelo’s pictures are a lot more durable, he’ll win the rounds. Crawford doesn’t hit as laborious as Jermell Charlo or Erislandy Lara, and people guys have been overmatched power-wise towards Canelo.
Genius At Work?
“His power ranges could be off the hook. He’ll in all probability come into the ring at 159 or 160 lbs. There’s no want to come back in at 168 simply because that’s the load restrict. He must be quick in that combat,” mentioned Edwards about Crawford.
“I advised him [Crawford], ‘That combat you fought that evening [against Viktor Postol at 140, eight years ago on July 23, 2016], that’s the combat that might beat Canelo.’ He sort of smiled. I feel Bud is a genius, and generally, whenever you’re a genius, you don’t know you’re a genius. He has the power to make changes in fights.”
The combat towards Viktor Postol was a very long time in the past when Crawford was 28 years outdated. He’s now 37, and he doesn’t look as younger, quick, or cellular as he was within the Postol combat. Crawford has aged. So, evaluating this model of Crawford to the one which fought Postol to make use of as an argument for why he’ll beat Canelo is not sensible. That model of Crawford not exists.
That was one other particular person. If he have been a monstrous puncher like Artur Beterbiev, it wouldn’t be a giant deal that Crawford is not as younger as he as soon as was. He’s not a giant puncher and wins his fights on velocity, reflexes, and boxing expertise. That’s not going to be sufficient at his present bodily state to beat Canelo, and the judges received’t do him any favors.
“I don’t assume he can beat guys like Bivol and Beterbiev. I feel that’s an excessive amount of, however Canelo,” mentioned Edwards. “He’s a fantastic fighter, however my eyes inform me he’s slowing down a bit. The Canelo that fought Berlanga. Three years in the past, Canelo would knock Berlanga out. That’s not a combat. That’s a public execution.
“The truth that he let Berlanga go the gap. He let Munguia go the gap. He let Charlo go the gap. Bud’s motion, conditioning, and energy. Bud is loads stronger than folks understand. I’m not saying he’s stronger than Canelo. He’s robust sufficient. It’s not a weigh-lifting contest,” mentioned Edwards.
