Coach Robert Garcia says Terence Crawford will dominate the first half of the fight against the United Super Middleweight Champion Canelo Alvarez and won ‘five or six’ of the rounds in their collision in September.
Early Crawford lead?
Robert mentions that Canelo (62-2-2, 39 COs) will have to force himself to enter into the second half of the competition to play and break Crawford (41-0, 31 food). If Garcia is correct with his prediction, it will be impossible for Alvarez to win. You are not an old wolf like Crawford an early lead and think you can get back into battle.
With a five or six-round late, Nebraska native will stab, move and fast for the rest of the struggle to win a decision. In other words, Crawford will sit on his lead and frustrate the Mexican star Alvarez like Floyd Mayweather Jr. In his victory over him in 2013.
Canelo has to force the action early, winning holes by Crawford punch and rounds based on the more difficult shots. It only takes three or four hard blows from Alvarez for him to win rounds, because he strikes so much harder than his opponents.
We have already seen that Crawford had no power in his recent move to 154 in August. It will be much more striking if he moves out of the ring to 168 after another year, and walks against the number 1 Super Middlegight in the division. I don’t see that it ends well for Crawford if Alvarez goes early for the killing.
“Use your skills, speed, try to fight on the outside, and he does have skills. He is a very talented fighter,” coach Robert Garcia told KO Artist sports When asked what Terence Crawford should do to defeat Canelo Alvarez in their still announced fight in September.
“I think he (Bud Crawford) is going to set up some good rounds. Maybe at least five or six rounds. Eventually, in the later rounds, Canelo will start catching him and breaking him down. But I see that Crawford is being erected (a good fight).
Second half boom
“Crawford, he’s a man. He is one of the best fighters in the world. He is very talented, and I think he will have a good fight. He (Canelo) has to (late), because in the first half I think it will be Crawford’s fight, ‘Robert says.
I don’t agree with Robert. Canelo will be the more efficient fighter in the early rounds and will push a timid, ring giants and old Crawford through the first half. Robert forgets how strong Alvarez looked in the first five rounds in his last two fights against the Cruiserweight-sized 193-LB Edgar Berlanga and Jaime Munguia in 2024. The two fighters are much younger, larger and more powerful than the 38-year-old Crawford soon.
Canelo fell in the championships from eight to twelve. This is where he faded and allowed his lesser opposition to steal rounds that they would otherwise not have.
“Maybe I’m wrong because Canelo is very talented. Let’s not take it away from him,” Robert said. “I see Crawford takes the first few rounds and the first half of the fight, and then Canelo forces himself to pressure and tries to dominate the way.”
The power factor
If Canelo could continue to force the action against Bud in the second half, the fight would be a complete mismatch like Alvarez’s unilateral victory over former unexpected 154 pound champion Jermell Charlo on September 30, 2023. Alvarez will not give away the first six rounds against Crawford. This is when the Mexican superstar will be at its strongest, most dangerous point of the fight.
Even Gennadiy Golovkin did not go early in their three fights in the teeth of Canelo’s offense. He mostly stayed on the outside, threw single shots and threw. It is not surprising that the judges did not give him credit for the approach, because he did not land the same kind of clean shots that were Alvarez and did not take chances. Crawford cannot beat Canelo by hitting and staying on the outside.
“Knowing that he is a little behind, he might be forced to do so. He has the power, he has the power, he also has the skills to do so. He has done it many times, ‘says Robert.
Last updated on 04/15/2025
