By Sean Jones: Retired former four-division world champion Mikey Garcia believes Terence Crawford can beat undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez because the Mexican star is no longer at his best.
Mikey notes that Canelo (59-2-2, 39 KOs) hasn’t looked good lately, struggling in his last three fights, starting from last year.
Like a light switch being turned off, Canelo went from looking brilliant in 2021 to pedestrian-level in just one year, appearing old & faded in his bout with Dmitry Bivol in May 2022, and he’s not been able to return to the form that he once had in his last two contests against John Ryder & over-the-hill 41-year-old Gennaadiy Golovkin.
We’ve heard the injury excuse from Canelo & his promoter about his dealing with a left hand problem, but he still looked like he’d gone to the dogs in his last fight against John Ryder after his surgery.
The faded, burned-out version of Canelo that we saw against Ryder loses to not only Crawford but also Jermell Charlo.
It’s unlikely that Crawford will even get a chance to add Canelo’s name to his resume because Jermell will put out that light of the faded star on September 30th.
If Crawford does get a chance to fight Canelo, it will likely be in the second half of 2024. Before that, Crawford will undoubtedly be forced to take a rematch with Errol Spence Jr. in December or early next year.
Boxing fans would prefer to see Crawford fight Tim Tszyu for the vacant WBO 154-lb title or defend his undisputed welterweight championship against Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis.
Crawford catching Canelo at right time
“He’s still very healthy, and he’s on the top of his game right now. He can still stick around a little bit longer,” said Mikey Garcia to ESNEWS about the 36-year-old Terence Crawford.
“I think Canelo wins that fight with [Jermell] Charlo. It won’t be an easy fight. Charlo can box, he’s tall, and he’s a good fighter, but Canelo should win. I think that’s kind of a safe thought.”
Many boxing fans believe Jermell will beat the shell of Canelo in the same way Dmitry Bivol did by using his jab, combination punching, and an in & out attacking style.
Canelo will likely gas out after three to six rounds, and spend most of the second half of the fight with his back against the ropes, trying to defend all the incoming shots from Jerrmell. The Mexican star will resemble a 40+-year-old and will be toyed with by the younger-looking Jermell.
“Crawford-Canelo? I’ve seen Crawford box very effectively.,” said Mikey. “It won’t be an easy fight for Canelo, though; even though Crawford is technically the smaller fighter, but he has the skill. He’s also catching Canelo when he’s not at his very best anymore.
“A couple of years ago, Canelo was dominating and knocking everybody out. Lately, he seems like he’s slowed down a little bit with some injured, but even with injuries or not, you’ve got to judge by what you saw in the fight. If he is a little injured or not as well-prepared because of an injury or whatever the case may be, that gives Crawford a much better chance,” said Mikey.
No one knows what happened to Canelo to cause him to lose his talent all at once from 2021 to 2022. Was it Canelo’s passion for playing golf that caused him to go downhill?
If a person spends most of their time messing around with a hobby that takes them away from their profession, it makes sense that their performance will deteriorate.
We saw that with Oscar De La Hoya during his career and many other athletes that have made millions.
It’s hard to stay dedicated when you got all that money in the bank and can live in wealthy neighborhoods and be waited on hand & foot by servants.
Terence will beat Spence at 154
“I expected Crawford to win. I didn’t expect him to be as dominant as he was because Spence is also a highly skilled fighter,” said Mikey. “So, I thought it was going to be more competitive, but Crawford showed why he is #1 and why he is who he is, and why he’s been champion in so many other divisions. He’s a two-time undisputed now. It’s impressive.
“I think Crawford still wins,” said Mikey when asked what happens if Crawford faces Spence at 154 in the rematch. “The skill level is that much better. I do think the weight might have had a factor. I think Spence was probably not able to hydrate well enough.”
Spence should have moved up to 160 or 168 a long time ago because the way that he balloons up to 190+ lbs between fights, his body could no longer return to 147, and he’ll have the same problems if he tries fighting Crawford at 154.
Spence is too big to fight at junior middleweight. Errol must listen to Floyd Mayweather Jr. and move up to 160 or 168.
“He killed himself to make weight. He stuck around the welterweight division a little too long, and that also played a factor in the way he performed, but the skill level that Crawford brings to the ring is just a bit better,” said Mikey.
