Trainer Manny Robles believes Terence Crawford’s inactivity and two-division jump up in weight will count against him in his title challenge against undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez on September 13th.
Year-Long Layoffs: A Red Flag
Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) is coming off a year-long layoff at nearly 38, and fighting in a division he’s never competed in. He’s being allowed to skip the line rather than taking on the #1 guy, Christian Mbilli. He’s taking a shortcut to the top.
“As far as Crawford getting knocked out, I don’t see it. He’s too elusive, too sharp, too slick, and too smart,” said trainer Manny Robles to Fino Boxing, analyzing the Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford fight. “He can fight from the orthodox style, southpaw stance, and he’s just a complete fighter.”
Crawford is a mover and will avoid getting knocked out by Canelo. He’s like a poor man’s version of Cuban Erislandy Lara, who was an outstanding mover when he fought Canelo in 2014 and was boxed his head off. Bud is nowhere near the level Lara was when he lost a controversial 12-round split decision against Alvarez.
Skepticism Over “Pound-for-Pound”
“To me, he’s one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. I understand activity does matter,” said Robles about Terence. “So, that might come back and affect Crawford, but he’s such a skillful fighter. On the other hand, Canelo has been staying active, and he’s a big boy. He’s a super middleweight.”
Robles sounds like he’s parroting views from casual fans, who lack critical thinking ability. You can’t say Crawford is pound-for-pound with his weak resume, with no elite-level fighters on it. Who has Crawford fought to say he’s pound-for-pound? Jeff Horn? A car crash wrecked Errol Spence?
“You’ve got to carry someone like that for 12 rounds. That’s extremely difficult. It’s a 50-50 fight. It’s a toss-up. Skill for skill, I’ve got to give it to Crawford, I think everybody agrees,” said Manny.
How can it be a 50-50 fight when Crawford has never fought at 168, showing age at 38, and coming off a questionable decision in his move up to 154 last August? Age, inactivity, a weak resume, and a two-division jump will play a factor.
“As far as weight, strength, and obviously activity, that counts as well. Canelo can give anybody problems,” said Robles. “It’s all about matchmaking. I don’t think I would have taken that fight against a guy that doesn’t fight,” said Robles about Canelo’s last bout against William Scull.
Is Crawford’s Ambition Gone?
Activity is going to play a huge factor in this fight. Crawford has fought only five times since 2020, fighting just once a year. He was out of the ring for 13 months when he fought Israil Madrimov last April, and looked terrible. Now, Crawford is doing it again, coming off another 13-month layoff. Ambition, long gone for Terence. He’s just fighting for money now. Turki Alalshikh chose to indulge Crawford rather than telling him he needed to earn the fight by going through a mini-three fight gauntlet through these sharks:
- David Benavidez
- David Morrell
- Osleys Iglesias
Canelo was offered a big payday to fight William Scull, and his back was against the wall. It was either fight Scull or face someone risky, like David Benavidez, Christian Mbilli, or Diego Pacheco. Scull was the least dangerous fight for Canelo.
“He didn’t really take a chance. He didn’t want to win that night. He would have at least tried, but he didn’t even do that. I think the fans deserved more than that,” said Robles.
Canelo wanted the IBF belt back so he could have the undisputed super middleweight championship on the line for his fight against Terence Crawford. That’s why the Mexican star fought William Scull. It was for superficial reasons.
Having the undisputed championship going into the September 13th fight provides an extra angle to attract interest from the ultra-hardcore boxing fans who care about such details. Bud has the opportunity to become a three-division four-belt champion.