Canelo Alvarez says that Terence Crawford's last fight at 154 against Israel Madrimov showed that he should be at 147.
Canelo says Crawford's performance at 154 was “different,” meaning he's not as smart a fighter as he was at 147.
Alvarez says he understands Crawford wants to make history and believes he can go up to 168 and beat anyone. However, there are weight classes for a reason, and he hit his ceiling at 154. He doesn't look like the warrior he was at 147.
Indeed, Crawford's fight with WBA junior middleweight champion Madrimov was close and could have gone either way. Cheating will be better because it will be very close to choosing a winner. Madrimov landed clean, solid shots throughout the rounds, but the judges focused on his jersey.
WBA, WBC, and WBO super middleweight champion Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) says he is ready to talk to the Honorable Turki Alalshikh about a fight with Crawford after his title defense against Edgar Berlanga on September 14. Canelo says, “We can talk after this war.
Canelo Open to Crawford Fight
“I'm on business. I can fight better for me, and if the money is right, it's right,” said Canelo Alvarez on YouTube channel Pound 4 Pound about his thoughts on fighting Terence Crawford.
“I like to be free, I like to be at peace, with them [His Excellency Turki Alalshikh] I like to talk to myself when I have a fight before [of me]and I don't like to work that way,” said Canelo.
If Turki can make an offer that Canelo finds acceptable, he will fight Crawford. We will see if he is willing to meet his price. I don't think it will be a good fight for the fans, however, because Crawford will be too young, old, and weak to compete with Canelo at 168.
Crawford looked awful taking shots from Madrimov, and was fortunate that the judges gave more weight to the powerful shots he was landing. The judges will not do the same thing to Crawford if he faces Canelo.
What is Crawford's Real 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 from Crawford to avoid his retirement years, which is how many fans feel about it.
“I said, 'Look, I don't want to talk about another fight,'” Canelo said of the Crawford talks. “After the fight with Berlanga, we can always talk about it and make sense of everything.' But if not, I'm not asking for anything.
“I'm good where I am, I'm not asking for a fight. I am not begging to do that battle [Crawford]. I don't need anything. I do my business. I'm fine. So, if you want to do that, that's fine. We can talk after the fight,” said Canelo.
Crawford and Turki want a fight with Canelo, not the other way around. It is not Canelo who has been campaigning for this fight and has been whining non-stop earlier this month. Crawford made a big comeback after his upset win over Madrimov. The only thing missing were the violins in the background, and Crawford's vocals.
Crawford Limits at Higher Weight
“He looks in his weight class. I think his weight is 147,” Canelo said of Crawford. You can see the difference. You can see in the last battle [Israil Madrimov] that it's different,” Canelo said when asked if he thinks Crawford can push people at 154.
Crawford looked like a fish out of water at 154, showing no energy and afraid to attack for fear of being pinned by Madrimov. This is not a good weight class for Crawford, and it never will be. Even if he carries a lot of muscle, he will 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 that. But when you're in there, it's very different,: said Canelo.
“As a fighter, I know he is [Crawford] he wants to make history and rise, and he believes he can beat everyone. That's why there are weight divisions,” said Canelo.
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 have stopped at 160 and held the belts first before moving to 168. But he wants that Canelo money, and the legacy is secondary.
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