Canelo Alvarez confronted promoter Eddie Hearn about his name being used throughout the Terence Crawford vs. Israil Madrimov promotion as a potential mega-fight for Terence.
Canelo’s Name Used as a Promotional Tool
To his credit, Hearn admitted that they had to use Canelo’s name to help sell the Crawford-Madrimov fight last Saturday night on PPV at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles. Still, it was low to use Mexican star Canelo’s name as a tool to help a fighter that can’t sell.
It would have been better if they had used another fighter’s name to help sell Crawford’s fight against Madrimov. The superstar Canelo deserves better treatment than this being used as a promotional tool for a fighter who can’t sell, Terence Crawford. They wouldn’t have been desperate to sell Crawford’s fight if they’d picked Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis or David Benavidez as the opponent.
Fans would have been eager to purchase tickets and order the fight on PPV, but they obviously picked the wrong guy, Madrimov, as Crawford’s opponent.
Canelo’s Unwanted Pressure
Canelo has never expressed interest in fighting Crawford, yet he was repeatedly linked to a clash against him in early 2025. That has to have been annoying for Canelo because it creates fan pressure on him to take a fight that he’s never asked for and has shown interest in.
You can’t blame Canelo for not being pleased about his name being constantly mentioned as Crawford’s next opponent. He doesn’t want to be railroaded into fighting him due to artificially created pressure tactics when he stands to gain nothing from this fight.
As Canelo has pointed out. If he wins, he gains nothing and will likely be criticized for fighting a smaller guy who is coming up in weight. If he loses, it’s really bad for his legacy. All Crawford has to do is look good in losing, and he comes off as a winner, whereas Canelo Alvarez will be criticized, even in victory. It’s a situation where he can’t win, no matter what.
Canelo’s Confrontation with Hearn
Canelo Alvarez: “You’ve been talking about me all week,” Plant said to promoter Eddie Hearn about his name being constantly mentioned as a potential opponent for Terence Crawford when he’d never said he wanted that fight.
Eddie Hearn: “We have to use your name to sell the show.”
Canelo: “That’s what I think.”
Hearn: “You’re good?”
Canelo: “Yeah, I’m good.”
“You’ve Been Talking About Me All Week!” 😂 – @Canelo tells @EddieHearn at the #CaneloBerlanga presser following #CrawfordMadrimov Fight Week 👀 pic.twitter.com/qGcyXRv8nC
— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) August 5, 2024
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