By Chris Williams: Canelo Alvarez has finally spelled it out, saying he won’t be fighting Terence Crawford because it’s a fight with nothing for him to gain in terms of fan appreciation.
Canelo compares fighting Crawford with Terence’s negative attitude towards a fight with lightweight Gervonta Davis. It’s a no-win situation where he would get no credit for beating the Baltimore native.
The 36-year-old Crawford fights three divisions below Canelo at 147, and even if he moves up to 154, as he’s expected to do shortly, that’s still two weight classes.
Just moving up in weight to junior middleweight with no fights under his belt in that weight class would mean that Crawford is still essentially a welterweight.
Is Crawford willing to move to 168?
Canelo didn’t say what Crawford needs to for him to entertain the idea of fighting him, but it’s fair to say that he needs to come out of his comfort zone and take a big career risk by moving up to 168 and swim with the sharks.
That means that Crawford not only must move up to 168, but he must get in the ring and prove himself against the top contenders. We’re talking about Crawford fighting David Benavidez & David Morrell Jr. If Crawford beats those guys, he’ll prove himself worthy of fighting Canelo.
If Crawford is too afraid to take the risk, then he’ll lose out like any fighter who is afraid to take the hard road to earn a fight with Canelo.
It’s not enough for Crawford to move to super middleweight and start begging for a fight with Canelo. Crawford has got to move up and start beating the guys who are vying for Canelo’s 168-lb throne.
“They talking about the fight with Gervonta. I think he said, ‘Nobody is going to give me credit if I beat him.‘ It’s the same thing,” said Canelo Alvarez to Showtime Sports when asked about his interest, or lack thereof, in fighting welterweight Terence Crawford, who has been talking about wanting to fight him.
“I think it’s NO. You guys know. Don’t try to make that kind of fights,” Alvarez said about fans wanting him to fight Crawford.
So there it is. Canelo says he won’t get credit for beating Crawford, and he wants fans stop talking about that fight. If you’re Crawford, it would be a good idea to forget about Canelo unless he’s willing to move up to 168 and face the sharks, Benavidez & Morrell.
“It’s always there. I always try to do the best fights out there, and if it’s good for boxing, it’s good for me, good for the people, if I’m able, I’m on,” said Canelo when asked if he’ll fight David Benavidez. ”
