The Terence Crawford vs. Canelo Alvarez debate is still raging on. The former undisputed welterweight champion is coming off a unanimous decision win over Israil Madrimov at 154 pounds, securing the WBA and interim WBO super welterweight belt. However, unlike his performance against Errol Spence Jr. at 147 pounds, ‘Bud’ didn’t look as good against the former champ from Uzbekistan.
This has led to many people ruling out Crawford’s chances against Canelo Alvarez in case the fight ever happens at 168 pounds. However, not everyone feels that way—some believe Crawford will adapt and will be a challenge for the super middleweight king. One of those people is the acclaimed boxing trainer Teddy Atlas.
The man who once trained Mike Tyson recently appeared in an interview with Fight Hub TV, where he shared his take on what Crawford is capable of in the 168-pound division. “Don’t discount his first time in 154. Don’t discount that. There’ll be a little growth there, too,” Atlas confidently declared during the interview.
“Don’t go and believe it’s gonna be the same Crawford when he steps up to 168 if that happens. No, this is gonna be a better-armed Crawford, even better than he’s been,” Atlas continued. He went on to suggest after the closely contested bout against Madrimov in August, Crawford would have the knowledge and confidence to acquire another belt in the division.
Sharing his final verdict on a potential Canelo vs. Crawford debate, Atlas told the reporter, “So, don’t be so sure that the Crawford you saw with Madrimov is not going to be different. He will be different.” However, it’s worth mentioning that the WBO has ordered Sebastian Fundora and Terence Crawford to reach a deal for a fight within 30 days for the WBO super welterweight title.
While a confirmation on the deal has not been officially announced at the moment, Fundora’s promoter Sampson Lewkowicz told Boxing Scene they are solely focused on a fight against Crawford. However, he acknowledged that Crawford wants to climb up to the 168-pound division to face Canelo, but if that doesn’t happen, Fundora is ready for Crawford.
In the meantime, someone who has fought both Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford has shared his thoughts on why the two men haven’t been in the ring yet.
Former unified super lightweight champion Amir Khan jumped two weight classes to face Canelo Alvarez back in 2016 at a catchweight of 155 pounds. The fight ended when Canelo landed a thundering right-hand square on Khan’s chin in the 6th round that sent the Brit crashing onto the canvas.
Khan also fought Terence Crawford back in 2019—after being dropped in the very first round, the Englishman lost the fight in the 6th via technical knockout. In an interview with Boxing News, Khan said, “It’s going to be a great test for Crawford.” However, turning to why the fight hasn’t happened yet, Khan said, “It seems to me that Canelo is scared and doesn’t want to fight him. All these excuses he’s coming out with.”
That being said, it appears Crawford’s lackluster performance against Israil Madrimov hasn’t dulled the confidence people have in the former undisputed champion. Atlas and Khan still believe Terence Crawford could be a challenge for Canelo Alvarez. Do you agree?
