Canelo Alvarez didn’t mince words when asked about Terence Crawford’s recent fight. The Mexican superstar summed up Crawford’s performance against Israil Madrimov in just two words: “He lost.”
Crawford stepped up to 154lbs for the first time in August, taking on Madrimov for the WBA super-welterweight title. The official scorecards gave Crawford a narrow unanimous decision win, making him a four-weight world champion. But the fight pushed ‘Bud’ harder than possibly any other in his career.
The tightly-fought contest left room for debate, and Canelo didn’t hold back his opinion. In an interview, he expanded on his initial two-word verdict: “I think he knows why there’s weight classes there, right? He make a good fight, but for me I think he lost the fight. Or draw. It could have been the other side.”
Canelo’s comments come amid ongoing speculation about a potential showdown between the two champions. Crawford has expressed willingness to move up two weight divisions to 168lbs for a shot at Canelo. But the Mexican star’s latest remarks suggest he’s not impressed by what he saw from Crawford at 154lbs.
Alvarez himself is coming off a successful title defense, having beaten Edgar Berlanga in September to retain his unified super-middleweight belts. With the option to become undisputed at 168lbs now on the table, it’s unclear if a fight with Crawford fits into Canelo’s immediate plans.
As for Crawford, his journey into the higher weight classes has just begun. The Madrimov fight proved he can compete at 154lbs, but Canelo’s comments highlight the challenges he’ll face if he wants to climb even higher up the divisions.
Negotiations for a potential Canelo-Crawford bout may be ongoing behind the scenes. With both fighters’ camps staying tight-lipped, boxing fans will have to wait for further updates on this intriguing matchup.
Source link