Demetrius Andrade believes Canelo Alvarez is too big, strong and technical for Terence Crawford to move up to super middleweight and challenge him for his three titles as he fights.
Too big, too strong
Former two-division world champion Andrade feels it is too big for the 37-year-old Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) to move up two weight classes from 154 to have a chance to defeat WBA, WBC and WBO 168 – lb champion Canelo (62-2-2, 39 KOs).
Nebraska native Crawford is pushing to move up to 168 to fight Canelo with no experience in the weight class first. He just wants the world title handed to him without first providing himself by beating the top contenders lined up like David Morrell, David Benavidez, Christian Mbilli and Diego Pacheco.
There wouldn’t be a problem if Terence was willing to earn the title shot by beating those four fighters standing in front of him, but he doesn’t want to do that. He wants Canelo to fix him based on his credentials from what he has done in the other weight classes.
Looking at Crawford’s resume, there isn’t much to the eye other than beating the car crash injured Errol Spence. The other semi-decent win on Crawford’s resume came against Israil Madrimov, but he almost lost to him and looked poor, eating straight hands all night.
Crawford moved up to 154 last summer on Aug. 3 and dropped a close 12-round unanimous decision over Madrimov. It was a fight that Terence could have easily lost if Madrimov had put his foot on the accelerator in the final three rounds of choosing to throw pot shots. Even in defeat, Madrimov made Crawford look old and made it clear he had reached his ceiling. He can’t go past 154 to 160 or 168 without losing.
Canelo’s advantages
“Yes, I believe so. I love Crawford. He is a good friend, and we reach out to each other. But when it comes to weight and strength, that s*** is real,” said Demetrius Andrade Fight Hub TV when asked if Canelo Alvarez is too big for Terence Crawford.
“Skills too. Canelo is not a pushover. Look what he did to the little girl, (Jermell) Charlo. Charlo was the big bad wolf and he ran from several corners all night. Canelo threw some hooks, and he just ran all night. Where is it (the intensity and bravery)? Let’s fight.
“I think Crawford has the skills, but when it comes to getting shots and blocking them, power punches, and Canelo knows how to move as well. He has agility. He is not like a robot. It’s going to be tough. My opinion is my opinion. I don’t think Crawford can beat Canelo,” Andrade says.
Crawford is too small to fight Canelo at 168. The fight will be all about money, and it will be similar to when Canelo defended his super middleweight title against Jermell Charlo last September. Jermell moved up from 154 and was given a title shot against Canelo without proving himself.
He ran all night after feeling Canelo’s power in the first round, and the fans felt ripped off afterward. It was a joke. If Jermell had tried to prove himself by fighting Benavidez or Morrell, he would have been wiped out in a one-sided loss or knockout loss, and fans wouldn’t have been ripped off when he saw Canelo come through. In the real world, like other contenders, Crawford would have to earn the title shot against Canelo, but he’s looking for a shortcut to get the huge payday. It’s pathetic and wrong for the sport.
“Do I think he can give him a good fight? I’ll sit there and root for Crawford all day,” Andrade said of Crawford. “I’m always going to bet on black, but the reality of it is that Canelo knows how to fight. He knows how to come in big, and he knows how to throw hard shots.
“He’s also a technical guy. Look what he did to Callum Smith—elbows, arms, all that other kind of stuff. He’s going to use that same tactic on a smaller guy (Crawford). I’m just saying. I only speak real boxing facts. I’m not trying to be in this fantasy world because that’s not what I’m in,” Andrade said.
