Terence Crawford would be better off not bulking up for his title challenge of three-belt 168-lb champion Canelo Alvarez on September 13th in Las Vegas. If Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) has any shot at winning, he must come in lean for the fight and not add extra weight that will slow him down.
In Crawford’s last fight, he showed no power in his debut at 154 against WBA junior middleweight champion Israil Madrimov. Although he looked bigger than he had a year earlier at 147 against Errol Spence, his power had not increased. He was heavier and slower.
Crawford’s Best Chance
If Crawford bulks up, hoping to discover more strength to match the naturally stronger and bigger Canelo (62-2-2, 39 KOs), he’ll be making a mistake that could result in a knockout loss. It’s doubtful that Terence will be stationary long enough for Canelo to hurt him, but he won’t win if he’s fighting defensively all night. Jermell Charlo and Erislandy Lara tried that approach, and the Nevada judges value that style.
It would have been better if Crawford had been willing to move up to 168 to get a couple of fights in the division to prepare him for the Canelo fight. He wasn’t going to do that because a big reason why Terence is taking this match is for the money rather than him trying to prove he’s the top dog at 168.
Crawford’s last fight at 154 showed that he was not designed to move beyond that division. Even in that weight class, he would need to be strategic to avoid losses if he wanted to stay unbeaten. He’s not big, strong, or young enough to beat the killers at 154 and certainly not at 168.
“Crawford going up 14 lbs. Canelo isn’t a 168 guy when you see him. He’s stout and fit now in that division. When I look at his frame, he should be fighting at 160,” said Ade Oladipo on his YouTube channel about Terence Crawford not giving up that much size to Canelo Alvarez.
“If I were Crawford, I’d come in at 160. I don’t need to be at 168. I’d just come in at the weight that I felt perfect at whether it’s movement. He’s not going to out-strength Canelo. I know Crawford likes to wrestle, and he’s strong. You’re not going to out-strength Canelo.”
Ade is right. Crawford shouldn’t come in any heavier than he did for his fight against Errol Spence in 2023 because that was his best weight. His shots are not going to faze Canelo at any weight. Terence only wins if he outboxes Canelo in a boring fight.
“What he can do is be more fleet-footed and be better at movement,” said Ade. “You can land your punches and get in and out of the pocket. I think Crawford at 160 does that better than a Crawford that tries to enter the ring near enough at 180. You’re carrying weight that you’re not used to carrying.
“This jump for Crawford is fast and a big jump. It’s not like you had four fights at 154 and got used to carrying around the extra weight. You’ve gone from 147 to 154 to 168 immediately. I say come in at 160 or 161 and say, ‘Let’s have it.’ Usyk always comes into his fights at heavyweight at 222. He tries to gauge what’s the best weight for him, and I think Crawford should look at that.”
Canelo’s Weakness
It’s a big jump for Crawford, but he’s counting on Canelo gassing out early like he did in his last two fights against Edgar Berlanga and Jaime Munguia. The Mexican star had nothing left in the gas tank after four rounds and was only able to fight in brief spurts for the remainder of the contest.
“Gauge what’s the best weight for you, and you don’t have to hit 168. To be a super middleweight, all you have to do is weigh over 160. Come in at 161,” said Ade about what Crawford should do.
Last Updated on 02/12/2025
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