Andre Ward still wants unified super middleweight champion, Canelo Alvarez, to fight Terence Crawford at 154 pounds because he thinks the Nebraska native could “take out” the Mexican star. Ward doesn’t understand why Canelo (62-2-2, 39 KOs) wouldn’t give the 37-year-old Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) a shot.
Should Canelo Fight Crawford?
Canelo has said that it is not a fight that he is interested in because it is a game that does not win, where he is criticized no matter what happens. Coming off a big fight is Crawford, who won’t be criticized if he loses because Canelo is fighting two weight classes above him and is much tougher.
Ward has nothing to say about Crawford showing no willingness to move up to 168 and defeat the top fighters to earn a title shot against Canelo.
Why Can’t Crawford Get a Fight?
People have to earn things by working hard, and Ward is not pressuring Crawford to move up to 168 and earn a fight against Canelo by defeating these two contenders:
– Christian Mbili
– Diego Pacheco
– Osleys Iglesias
– Jaime Munguia
– Caleb Plant
If Crawford was hungry, he could fight all five of those guys next year and knock on Canelo’s door for a world title shot in early 2026. Why doesn’t Crawford do that? Are you afraid of losing to one or all of those fighters and being eliminated from the Canelo sweepstakes?
Crawford is coming off a 12-round unanimous decision in his 154 debut against 11-fight Israel Madrimov on Aug. 3. He didn’t win that fight in his junior middleweight debut, and he hasn’t fought other fighters at 154, either. like Bakhram Murtazaliev and Vergil Ortiz Jr.
Crawford has never been at 160, and that would be a reasonable move to fight Canelo. Why is Crawford not fighting IBF and WBO middleweight champion Janibek Alimkhanuly? Does Crawford feel he doesn’t have to work for things in life? Other fighters work, so why not?
“The game is different. “There’s a lot of hype going on about guys not fighting and why they don’t,” said Andre Ward on Stephen A. Jackson’s YouTube channel. “I love the Terence Crawford vs. Canelo Alvarez.
The game is different. And Crawford is part of it. Why doesn’t he take dangerous fights against Murataliev and Vergil Jr. in 154? Why isn’t Crawford fighting Janibek at 160 or David Benavidez? There are fighters who don’t fight, and Crawford is one of them. Ward doesn’t just call her out on dating boys.
“A lot of people say I’m crazy when I say Terence Crawford can win that fight. “My point is, if you don’t think Terence Crawford can beat Canelo Alvarez, you need to look at your eyes,” said Ward.
Crawford, 37, didn’t beat Madrimov in his debut at 154, and it’s clear in that fight that he won’t cut it if he jumps up two weight classes to fight Canelo at 168.
Crawford could make things easier for Canelo if he moves up to 168 and defeats Iglesias, Pacheco, Mbilli, Plant, and Munguia. If he can beat those guys or David Morrell, he might get a title shot against Canelo.
Canelo’s History of Fighting Younger Opponents
“There’s a reason why Canelo didn’t jump in that fight because he fought Amir Khan, who was two weight divisions below him. [correction: one weight class]. So, the weight is not that big of a deal,” said Ward.
Khan only moved up one weight class, not two, when Canelo fought him in 2016. Canelo knew that Khan would come to fight. With Crawford, he already knows he’s going to use Mayweather’s plan with boxing and walking throughout the night.
His trainer, Brian ‘BoMac’ McIntyre, has already said that he will make Crawford use Mayweather’s game plan. In retrospect, BoMac should have shut down his yap because he gave Canelo another reason not to fight him.
“That is war [Canelo vs. Crawford] I would really like to see. That is a dangerous fight for both fighters for different reasons. That’s the fight I’d like to see, and that’s the greatest fight of all time people [would like to see],” Ward said.
“The thought comes from the community that he is [Canelo] 30 lbs maximum weight. That would be a very interesting fight,” said Ward.
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