Renowned trainer Bob Santos has described a possible Terence “Bud” Crawford and Saul “Canelo” Alvarez showdown at 168 pounds as a “step too far” for the newly-crowned WBA junior middleweight champion.
Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) became a four-division world champion after a unanimous decision win over Israil Madrimov (10-1-1, 7 KOs) at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, California, last Saturday. Before moving up to junior middleweight to face Madrimov, Crawford had won world titles at lightweight, junior welterweight, and welterweight.
Santos believes it will be a tall order for Crawford to replicate such a performance against Canelo at super middleweight.
“I think it’ll be a step too big for him but he has earned the right to try it,” Santos told BoxingScene. “Well, I think that’s true but we have to remember that what makes a guy like Crawford great is challenges. That’s why he’s great. That’s why he’s done what he’s done.
“Now, that said, I think Canelo would be too big and too strong for him at 168. I could be wrong. He could prove us wrong. But for the most part, I think that’s just a lot to ask of Bud to go to 168.”
Prior to the Madrimov fight, there was a lot of talk about Crawford potentially moving up to challenge super middleweight superstar Canelo. Although Santos believes Crawford deserves a shot at fighting Canelo, he’s of the view that the Mexican would be too tough for his opponent at super middleweight.
“He turned pro at 135 and he won the fight at 154. Now when you hear people say, ‘You know, does he deserve the Canelo fight based on that performance?’ To me, he would deserve the fight based on his career. Not just one performance
“So, if he feels he has seen something that he thinks he can exploit with Canelo, he’s a great fighter. I think he’s at least earned the right to challenge him. It’s up to Canelo to decide to challenge him or not.”
Canelo is scheduled to return against Edgar Berlanga on September 14 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The 34-year-old is making his second ring outing this year and is expected to defend his WBC, WBA, and WBO super middleweight titles.
When asked if Crawford would be making a big mistake by facing Canelo, Santos said the Nebraska-born fighter is one of the greatest fighters in history today because of the numerous risks he has taken throughout his career.
“I may think it’s a step too far, but that’s what makes him great. That’s why he was able to win at 135, 140, 147, and now 154. And he’s been successful every single time, so he’s at least earned that right. That’s what makes him great. But guess what? That’s Bud’s mindset and it’s his legacy to take the risks.”
Bernard Neequaye is a sports journalist with a specialty in boxing coverage. He wrote a boxing column titled “From The Ringside” back in his native Ghana for years. He can be reached on X (formerly Twitter) at @BernardNeequaye, LinkedIn at Bernard Neequaye and through email at [email protected].
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