Promoter Bernard Hopkins says a fight between Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford is “ridiculous.” Hopkins feels that Crawford would be disadvantaged in moving up two weight classes to 168 to challenge Canelo (61-2-2 39 KOs) for his WBC, WBA, and WBO titles.
Bernard says Crawford, 36, doesn’t need to move up in weight because he still has plenty of “fish” to fight where he’s at fighting at 154 and 147. Crawford hasn’t begun to exhaust the options he has for compelling fights.
With a full plate of food where he’s at, the gluttonous Crawford wants even more, and he can’t take ‘no’ for an answer when the cooks tell him that the item he wants isn’t on the menu.
Crawford showed he still possesses skills last Saturday, beating WBA junior middleweight champion Israil Madrimov by a decision. However, he couldn’t keep him off and got hit with big punches in every round. If Canelo had landed those shots, Crawford would have been sent to HD1 galaxy 13.5 billion light years away.
Hopkins points out that weight classes are there for a reason, and he feels that Crawford should stay where he’s at in his little pond and not venture into the deep ocean waters to mess with dangerous fish like Canelo Alvarez.
‘Plenty of Fish to Fry’ at 147 and 154
“That’s ridiculous. That’s why we have weight classes. Size does matter in most cases,” said promoter Bernard Hopkins to Fight Hub TV on whether Terence Crawford should fight super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez next.
Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) wouldn’t have the power to keep Canelo off him, and he doesn’t possess enough speed to prevent getting hit with potential knockout shots in every round.
Even if Crawford survived the 12-round fight, he would lose by a wide decision, which isn’t good for him or the paying fans.
‘Bud’ Crawford isn’t satisfied with the options available at 154 and wants Canelo to fight at super middleweight for financial and legacy reasons. That match is out of reach for Crawford.
“You get those moments in history where size didn’t matter, but that’s why it’s history. Most of the time, it’s the right call. I think he [Crawford] has got a lot of fish to fry underneath where he’s comfortable. Don’t put yourself at a disadvantage. Put yourself at an advantage. It’s only fair,” said Hopkins about Crawford.
Crawford is at the wrong age to move up to 168 to tangle with an apex predator like Canelo Alvarez. That’s a fight that Crawford would be young even to contemplate, and he didn’t look youthful at all last Saturday night in his narrow twelve-round decision win over Madrimov at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.
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