Former trainer Abel Sanchez says Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford is a “ridiculous fight” because the Nebraska native has not improved since moving up to 154.
Crawford’s Stagnation
Sanchez feels that Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) is the same fighter he was at 140 and 147. That’s not going to get the job done, moving up to 168 to face Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) for his unified super middleweight titles.
Fans are no longer interested in that match-up after watching the 36-year-old Crawford’s debut at 154 on August 3rd against Israil Madrimov. As Sanchez says, Crawford looked like he did at 147, and his power didn’t carry up to the 154-lb division.
He was underpowered for the division, and the only reason he won was that Madrimov gassed out in the championship rounds. If Madrimov had kept throwing, he’d have beaten Crawford and permanently ended his dreams of a Canelo payday.
“It’s a ridiculous fight. Crawford is a great fighter, but he hasn’t been a different fighter from 140 and 147,” said former trainer Abel Sanchez to K.O. Artist Sports, discussing whether Terence Crawford can go up to 168 to challenge Canelo Alvarez for his unified super middleweight championship.
A Mismatch From the Start
It’s always been a “ridiculous fight” idea for Crawford to jump up two divisions to fight Canelo after just one match at 154. Without Crawford showing any ambition toward going up to 168 to prove himself against David Benavidez and David Morrell, it was always just a fantasy-level business fight between him and Canelo. It would make money, but it wouldn’t be sporting.
“He’s still the same fighter. He hasn’t changed anything to make him viable in different ways. Canelo has. Crawford hasn’t been destroying his opponents. He destroyed one [Errol Spence], who was a shell of himself, but Canelo has been destroying everybody he fights. Crawford is not and at a lower weight. It’s a good money fight,” said Sanchez.
Crawford looked like the same fighter against Madrimov that he’d been against Errol Spence a year earlier, but the difference was that he wasn’t fighting a wasted shell of a fighter. Madrimov wasn’t burned out, weight-drained, inactive, old, or depleted from a terrible car wreck. Crawford’s win over Spence fooled many people, making them believe he was better than he was.
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