Trainer Robert Garcia says Canelo Alvarez will fight Terence Crawford in May 2025. However, he doesn’t see Crawford winning because he’s getting older, and Canelo is obviously stronger than him.
He also takes a good punch and was hit by harder punches than Crawford, who looked weak in his debut at 154 against Israil Madrimov on August 3.
Crawford’s Age and Decline
Robert says Crawford is not considering a fight against WBC interim 154-lb champion Vergil Ortiz Jr. he is retiring soon.
Garcia says Crawford could make three times more money fighting Canelo (62-2-2, 39 KOs) than he did fighting Vergil Jr. would make If Turki Alalshikh is willing to pay Canelo an enormous amount of money to fight the older, thinner, weaker Crawford, the fight could happen.
Since Terence would make his debut at 168 by moving up two weight classes, it would be impossible to see a scenario where he could win. It would be a business-level fight.
A Famous Match
When you get a fighter as old as Crawford, who didn’t look good in his debut at 154, moving up two more weight classes to 168, it’s not a serious fight. This is a celebrity match.
For this to be serious, Crawford will have to make it to 168 and prove himself against the top contenders. If he succeeds in three or four tough fights, he can face Canelo.
Terence’s Road to Legitimacy
Put Crawford in this three to allow him to show he is worthy of fighting King Canelo:
- David Benavidez
- David Morrell
- Osley Iglesias
He’s not interested in proving himself with just one fight at 168; it just shows you what he’s looking for. It’s the money and NOT legacy. It’s a joke. It has nothing to do with what Crawford’s goal is.
If this were the real world, Crawford would have to move up to 168 and gain the prerequisite experience to prove he is fit for the job and deserves it.
Terence doesn’t have to do that here, and the ones who will lose are the fans because he’s going to get wiped out by Canelo or make it very, very boring like Jermell Charlo did when he moved up from 154 in 2023 to challenge Canelo . Jermell is bigger, faster and stronger than Crawford.
He couldn’t do anything with Canelo and was forced to run to save his skin. The fight was unwatchable, but Charlo got his big payday, and he hasn’t been seen in the ring since. It was a cash-in for him, and the fans got a poor product for the money they paid to see the fight on PPV.
Financial motivations
“We would immediately take up the fight. This is not an easy battle. Crawford is a great fighter, pound-for-pound #1, #2 or #3,” said Robert Garcia. Battle hype when asked about his interest in a fight between Vergil Ortiz Jr. and Terence Crawford.
“He’s already 37, looking for the biggest payday. I think he’s looking at a fight against Canelo, where it would triple the money he could make against Vergil,” Robert said of Crawford. “So, he’s just playing it smart. I don’t blame him. He is already 37 and looking at the best fights there are for him when it comes to finances.
“What I hear is it (Canelo-Crawford) can happen by May. I think Crawford is one of the best fighters out there, but he’s up there in age. We won’t know until he fights again. There is that chance. That happens in boxing,” Garcia said of fighters who age overnight, especially when they are nearing their late 30s, like Crawford.
Terence is aging and approaching 38. He looked awful in his last fight against Madrimov at 154, and he will likely be destroyed in a rematch or if he takes on the likes of division IBF junior middleweight champion Bakhram Muratazaliev. That guy is now fighting at a higher level than Canelo and has more power. What he would do to Crawford with his left hooks would not be pretty.
“I choose Canelo. He’s bigger, stronger (and younger than Crawford). Canelo can take a very good punch. I see Crawford putting up a good fight. Cnaleo is physically the bigger guy, stronger,” Garcia said.
