Trainer Stephen Edwards believes Terence Crawford has enough size, power, conditioning and technical skills to move up to 168 and defeat unified super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez.
Edwards believes Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) couldn’t beat David Benavidez, David Morrell, Artur Beterbiev or Dmitry Bivol. These guys are too big and too technical for the 37-year-old Crawford. But the 34-year-old Canelo (62-2-2, 39 KOs) is starting to show signs of aging and he’s beatable for Crawford.
Vulnerable Champion
Canelo turns 35 on July 18 and he has failed to knock out his last six opponents. His last knockout came three years ago against Caleb Plant on November 6, 2021.
The Mexican star has not indicated he will face Crawford, and he won’t accept the match unless he feels he can win. His net worth is estimated at $250 million. So whatever money Turki Alalshikh might offer Alvarez, it wouldn’t entice him to fight Crawford unless he wanted to. He already has enough money to live rich for 20 lifetimes, and he can continue to earn several millions per fight, facing easy opposition.
“Yeah, I think he can go up to 168 and fight some people. Do I think he can fight Benavidez or Morrell? No, they are too big, too skilled and too tall. It would be a lot to overcome,” Stephen Edwards told Combathypetalking about Terence Crawford being too small to fight Benavidez or Morrell at super middleweight.
“Canelo comes from the smaller weights and is the same size as Crawford. I actually think Crawford is a bit taller. Crawford’s arms are much longer and he has a much better gas tank. I’ve never seen Crawford tired.
“Canelo is letting the guys get away with it today because when he was on his best run he would normally stop them. Now he’s letting them get away with it because he doesn’t have that extra push in “If Bud fought Canelo at 168, Bud would be full of calories. He would be able to eat whatever he wanted at any time of the day,” Edwards said.
Crawford is getting older too, at 37, and he almost lost his debut at 154 to Israil Madrimov on August 3. He won’t be able to win rounds against Canelo with the weak shots he landed against Madrimov. Those punches seemed weak compared to when he fought at 147, 140 and 135.
The judges will give Canelo the round against Crawford, even if he is overworked. If Canelo’s shots are much harder, he will win the rounds. Crawford doesn’t hit as hard as Jermell Charlo or Erislandy Lara, and those guys were outmatched in terms of power against Canelo.
A genius at work?
“His energy levels would be out of commission. He’ll probably enter the ring at 159 or 160 pounds. There is no need to enter at 168 just because that is the weight limit. He has to be quick in this fight,” Edwards said of Crawford.
“I told him [Crawford]’That fight you fought that night [against Viktor Postol at 140, eight years ago on July 23, 2016]this is the fight that could beat Canelo. He sort of smiled. I think Bud is a genius, and sometimes when you’re a genius you don’t know you’re a genius. He has the ability to make adjustments during fights.
The fight against Viktor Postol was a long time ago, when Crawford was 28 years old. He’s now 37 years old and he doesn’t look as young, fast or mobile as he did in the Postol fight. Crawford has aged. So comparing this version of Crawford to the one who fought Postol to use him as an argument for why he will beat Canelo makes no sense. This version of Crawford no longer exists.
It was a different person. If he was a monstrous puncher like Artur Beterbiev, it wouldn’t matter that Crawford wasn’t as young as he used to be. He is not a big puncher and wins his fights thanks to his speed, reflexes and boxing skills. It won’t be enough, in his current physical state, to beat Canelo, and the judges won’t do him any favors.
“I don’t think he can beat guys like Bivol and Beterbiev. I think it’s too much, but Canelo,” Edwards said. “He’s a great fighter, but my eyes tell me he’s slowing down a little bit. The Canelo who fought Berlanga. Three years ago, Canelo would have eliminated Berlanga. It’s not a fight. It’s a public execution.
“The fact that he let Berlanga go the distance. He let Munguia hold on. He let Charlo go the distance. Bud’s movement, conditioning and strength. Bud is a lot stronger than people think. I’m not saying he’s stronger than Canelo. He’s pretty strong. It’s not a weightlifting competition,” Edwards said.
