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 thinks that Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) couldn’t beat David Benavidez, David Morrell, Artur Beterbiev, or Dmitry Bivol. 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 he’s beatable for Crawford.
Vulnerable Champion
Canelo will turn 35 on July 18th, and he’s 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’s going to fight Crawford, and he won’t agree to the match unless he feels he can win. His net worth is estimated at $250 million. So, whatever money Turki Alalshikh could offer Alvarez would not entice him to take the Crawford fight unless he wanted it. He’s already got enough dough to live rich for 20 lifetimes, and he can continue to make many millions per fight, taking easy opposition.
“Yes, I think he can go up to 168 and fight certain people. Do I think he can fight Benavidez or Morrell? No, they’re too big, too skilled, and too tall. That would be a lot to overcome,” said Stephen Edwards to Fighthype, talking about Terence Crawford being too small to fight Benavidez or Morrell at super middleweight.
“Canelo comes from the smaller weights and is the same height as Crawford. I actually think Crawford is a little taller. Crawford’s arms are way longer, and he has the much better gas tank. I’ve never seen Crawford tired.
“Canelo let’s guys off the hook nowadays that when he was on his best run, he would normally stop them. Now, he’s letting them off the hook because he doesn’t have that extra push in his gas tank. If Bud fought Canelo at 168, Bud would be full of calories. He would be able to eat whatever he wanted to eat at any time of day,” said Edwards.
Crawford is getting pretty old, too, 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 shots he was landing against Madrimov. Those punches looked weak compared to when he was fighting at 147, 140 and 135.
The judges will give Canelo the rounds against Crawford, even if he’s outworked. If Canelo’s shots are much harder, he’ll win the rounds. Crawford doesn’t hit as hard as Jermell Charlo or Erislandy Lara, and those guys were overmatched power-wise against Canelo.
Genius At Work?
“His energy levels would be off the hook. He’ll probably come into the ring at 159 or 160 lbs. There’s no need to come in at 168 just because that’s the weight limit. He needs to be fast in that fight,” said Edwards about Crawford.
“I told him [Crawford], ‘That fight you fought that night [against Viktor Postol at 140, eight years ago on July 23, 2016], that’s the 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 make adjustments in fights.”
The fight against Viktor Postol was a long time ago when Crawford was 28 years old. He’s now 37, and he doesn’t look as young, fast, or mobile as he was in the Postol fight. Crawford has aged. So, comparing this version of Crawford to the one that fought Postol to use as an argument for why he’ll beat Canelo makes no sense. That version of Crawford no longer exists.
That was another person. If he were a monstrous puncher like Artur Beterbiev, it wouldn’t be a big deal that Crawford is no longer as young as he once was. He’s not a big puncher and wins his fights on speed, reflexes, and boxing skills. That’s not going to be enough at 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 that’s too much, but Canelo,” said Edwards. “He’s a great fighter, but my eyes tell me he’s slowing down a bit. The Canelo that fought Berlanga. Three years ago, Canelo would knock Berlanga out. That’s not a fight. That’s a public execution.
“The fact that he let Berlanga go the distance. He let Munguia go the distance. He let Charlo go the distance. Bud’s movement, conditioning, and strength. Bud is a lot stronger than people realize. I’m not saying he’s stronger than Canelo. He’s strong enough. It’s not a weigh-lifting contest,” said Edwards.
