Trainer Stephen Edwards believes Terence Crawford has the size, strength, conditioning and technical skills to move up to 168 and defeat unified super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez.
Edwards believes that Crawford (41-0, 31 KO) could not beat David Benavidez, David Morrell, Artur Beterbiev or Dmitry Bivolo. Those 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 age, and Crawford is outmatched.
A vulnerable champion
Canelo will turn 35 on July 18, and he 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 that he will fight Crawford and will not agree to a match unless he feels he can win. His net worth is estimated at $250 million. So whatever money Turki Alalshikh can offer Alvarez won't get him to accept a fight with Crawford unless he wants to. He already has enough money to live richly for 20 lifetimes and can continue to earn many millions per fight, putting up light opponents.
“Yeah, I think he can go up to 168 and fight certain people. Do I think he can fight Benavidez or Morrell? No, they are too big, too skilled and too tall. That would be a lot to overcome,” said Stephen Edwards Fighthypetalking about Terence Crawford being too small to fight Benavidez or Morrell at super middleweight.
“Canelo comes from a lighter weight and is the same height as Crawford. I actually think Crawford is a little taller. Crawford's arms are much longer, and he has a much better fuel tank. I never saw Crawford tired.
“Canelo let guys stop him today when he was at his best. Now he lets them go because he has no extra pressure in his fuel tank. If Bud had fought Canelo at 168, Bud would have been full of calories. He could eat whatever he wanted at any time of the day,” Edwards said.
Crawford is also getting pretty old at 37, and he almost lost his debut at 154 against Israil Madrimov on August 3rd. He won't be able to win rounds against Canelo with the weak punches he threw against Madrimov. Those shots looked weak compared to when he was fighting at 147, 140 and 135.
The judges will give Canelo rounds against Crawford, even if he is exhausted. If Canelo's shots land much harder, he will win the round. Crawford doesn't punch as hard as Jermell Charlo or Erislandy Lara, and those guys were superior in power against Canelo.
Genius at work?
“His energy level would be extraordinary. He will probably enter the ring at 159 or 160 lbs. There's no need to come in at 168 just because that's the weight limit. He has to be quick in that fight,” Edwards said of Crawford.
“I told him (Crawford), 'That fight you had that night (against Viktor Postol at 140, eight years ago on July 23, 2016), that's a fight that could beat Canelo.' He kind 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 adapt in fights.”
The fight against Viktor Postol was a long time ago when Crawford was 28 years old. Now he is 37 years old and does not look as young, fast and mobile as in the fight with Postol. Crawford has aged. So there is no point in comparing this version of Crawford to the one that fought Postol as an argument for why he will beat Canelo. That version of Crawford no longer exists.
It was another person. If he was a monstrous hitter like Artur Beterbiev, it wouldn't be a big deal that Crawford isn't as young as he used to be. He is not a big puncher and wins his fights with speed, reflexes and boxing skills. It won't be enough in his current physical condition to beat Canelo, and the judges won't be doing him any favors.
“I don't think he can beat guys like Bivol and Beterbiev. I think that's too much, but Canelo,” Edwards said. “He's a great fighter, but my eyes tell me he's slowing down a bit. Canelo who fought Berlango. Three years ago, Canelo would have knocked out Berlanga. It's not a fight. It's a public execution.
“The fact that he let Berlanga go far. He let Mungui go on. He let Charlo go. Bud's movement, conditioning and strength. Bud is much stronger than people realize. I'm not saying he's stronger than Canelo. It's strong enough. It's not a weightlifting competition,” Edwards said.
