His Excellency Turki Alalshikh replied to a social media post about a possible Mexico vs. USA 5 vs. 5 event with Canelo Alvarez fighting Terence Crawford in the main event.
It would essentially be a celebrity-esque fight in which Crawford jumps up three divisions and is given a title shot on a silver platter against undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo without earning it or proving himself.
For Crawford to earn the fight against Canelo in the true sense, he would need to beat David Benavidez or David Morrell, which isn’t happening. Crawford would be walking the plank over shark-infested waters if he took on one of those killers, and he ain’t about that.
Alalshikh posted a smiling emoji, suggesting that he’s interested in the Canelo vs. Crawford fight when asked if it was happening.
Concerns About Crawford’s Weight Jump
The boxing public in the U.S are eager to see the former three-division world champion Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) move up three divisions to challenge Canelo (60-2-2, 39 KOs) for his undisputed super middleweight championship.
I’m not high on the idea of the 36-year-old Crawford putting on a lot of weight and jumping up three divisions without proving himself at super middleweight or getting acclimated to the 168-lb division.
Granted, the 33-year-old Canelo isn’t the same fighter in his prime, but he can still punch and take a good shot at the super middleweight level. The only puncher Crawford has faced in his 16-year pro career is post-car crash Errol Spence Jr.
Against Crawford, Canelo will step on the gas against him because he’s a true welterweight moving up three weight classes, and not young.
A Celebrity Match, Not a Sporting Event?
Of course, I guess it doesn’t matter. This fight would be targeted at casual boxing fans, and it wouldn’t be a true sporting event. It would be more like a celebrity match.
That much of a weight jump without Crawford earning or proving himself at 168 makes a fight against Canelo a glorified celebrity match. It would be a one-off event with Crawford going up to super middleweight for the payday against Canelo, and then returning to 154, which is where he intends on campaigning at.
Crawford has filled out and looks good at 154 as he prepares for his August 3rd fight against WBA junior middleweight champion Israil Madrimov in Los Angeles. However, Crawford still hasn’t fought at 154, and we don’t know how he’ll perform in this weight class against the big puncher Madrimov.
Madrimov: A Formidable Hurdle
Assuming Crawford wins, he still needs to move two weight classes, skipping the dangerous sharks at 160 to fight at 168 against Canelo. Crawford has already moved up two weight classes after starting his career at lightweight in 2008.
I think it’s silly for boxing fans to start getting excited about a fight between Crawford and Canelo at 168 when we still have no idea how Terence is going to perform at 154 in his title challenge against the hard-hitting Madrimov (10-0, 7 KOs) in August.
That guy can punch, and he won’t be weight-drained or wrecked by two car accidents the way Spence was when he fought Crawford. What happens if Crawford is staggered repeatedly, knocked out, or struggles like mad to defeat Madrimov?
How do you make an argument for Crawford moving up two weight divisions to fight Canelo Alvarez after watching Madrimov punch holes through him?
@Turki_alalshikh, is this happening? #Boxing pic.twitter.com/6b0TCJUhSW
— Danny Zelaya דני (@therealdannyz) May 25, 2024
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