Canelo Alvarez says Terence Crawford’s last fight at 154 against Israil Madrimov showed that the right weight class for him is at 147.
Canelo says Crawford’s performance at 154 was “different,” meaning he’s not the same fighter talent he was at 147. He’s not dominating, and he won’t be at this weight class or at 168.
Alvarez says he understands Crawford wants to make history and believes he can move up to 168 and beat anyone. There are weight classes for a reason though, and he hit his ceiling at 154. He doesn’t look like the fighter he was at 147.
Indeed, Crawford’s fight with WBA junior middleweight champion Madrimov was razor sharp and could have gone the other way. A lottery would have been better as it was too close to pick a winner. Madrimov landed the cleaner, harder punches in each round, but the judges focused on his jabs.
WBA, WBC and WBO super middleweight champion Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) says he is open to talking to His Excellency Turki Alalshikh about a fight with Crawford after his title defense against Edgar Berlanga on September 14. Canelo says, “We can talk after this fight.”
Canelo Open for Crawford Fight
“I’m in the business. I can do the fight that’s better for me, and if the money is right, it’s okay,” said Canelo Alvarez on the Pound 4 Pound. YouTube channel about his thoughts on the fight against Terence Crawford.
“I like to be comfortable, I like to be at peace, and they (His Excellency Turki Alalshikh) like to talk to me when I have a fight in front (of me), and I don’t like that to work like that,” Canelo said.
If Turki can make an offer that Canelo finds agreeable, he will take the fight with Crawford. We will see if he is willing to take his prize. However, I don’t think it will be a good fight for the fans because Crawford will be too small, old and weak to compete with Canelo at 168.
Crawford looked bad with shots from Madrimov, and he was lucky the judges gave more weight to his punches than the power shots he landed. The judges are not going to do the same thing for Crawford against Canelo.
What is Crawford’s true motivation?
Maybe Crawford is focused on the money he will get and doesn’t care about winning the Canelo fight. It’s just a cash grab for Crawford to soften his retirement years, and that’s how many fans feel about it.
“I say, ‘Look, I don’t want to talk about any other fight,'” Canelo said of the Crawford negotiations. “After the fight with Berlanga we can sit and talk about it and make sense of everything.’ But if not, I beg for nothing.
“I’m good in the position I’m in. I’m not begging to fight. I’m not begging to make that fight (Crawford). I don’t need anything. I do my own business. i am good So, if you want to make it, fine. We can talk after the fight,” Canelo said.
Crawford and Turki want the fight with Canelo, not the other way around. Canelo is not the one pushing for the fight and complained incessantly earlier this month. Crawford produced big after his unimpressive win over Madrimov. The only thing missing was the violins in the background, along with Crawford’s cries.
Crawford’s limitations at higher weight
“He looks in his weight class. I think his weight class is 147,” Canelo said of Crawford. You can see the difference. You could see in the last fight (Israil Madrimov) that it’s different,” Canelo said when asked if he thought Crawford couldn’t push people at 154.
Crawford looked like a fish out of water at 154, showing no power and afraid to attack for fear of Madrimov getting pinned. This is not a good weight class for Crawford, and it never will be. Even if he packs on a bunch of muscle, he’ll remain out of his depth at 154.
“I know that as fighters we think we can do things. We can do everything. We can go up and fight everybody and beat them and think about it. But when you’re there, it’s completely different, Canelo says.
“As a fighter, I know that he (Crawford) wants to make history and move up, and he believes he can beat everybody. That’s why there are weight classes,” Canelo said.
I don’t think Crawford’s reason for wanting the Canelo fight is about legacy. I think he just wants the big money that comes from fighting him. If it was about legacy, Crawford would stop at 160 and win belts first before moving to 168. But he wants that Canelo’s money, and legacy is secondary.
