WBC interim featherweight champion Bruce Carrington says Canelo Alvarez’s punching power could be the “red flag” for Terence Crawford because he had problems with the shots from his last opponent, Israil Madrimov.
Carrington notes that if Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) had issues with former WBA junior middlewight champion Madrimov’s power in his move up to 154 a year ago on August 3, 2024, he’s going to be geting hit even harder by the undisputed super middleweight champ Canelo (63-2-2, 39 KOs) on September 13th at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Crawford’s Vulnerability Exposed
“The obvious red flag we have to look for is Canelo’s power. When I was watching Bud and Madrimov, in the post-fight interview, I was expecting him to say the style of Madrimov is what made the fight challenging. But he said it was the power. He didn’t say it was the style,” said WBC interim featherweight Bruce Carrington to Sean Zittel about Terence Crawford’s last fight against WBA junior middleweight champion Israil Madrimov.
The movement and constant feints that Madrimov used also appeared to give Crawford problems because he looked like he never knew when he would throw. When Madrimov threw, he was catching him repeatedly.
Carrington didn’t mention the year of the layoff Crawford had going into the Madrimov fight, his age, or his moving up from 147 to 154. Sitting out of the ring for a year after Crawford’s win over Errol Spence on July 29, 2023, wasn’t the wisest thing to do. Now, Terence has done it again, staying inactive for a year.
Terence’s Style Advantage
“If the power is the problem, Canelo has a bunch of it. He has a lot of it, and that’s a big issue,” said Carrington. “I feel like Canelo is tailor-made for a guy like Crawford in terms of style. The way that Crawford is able to adjust to anyone’s style, and he’s a switch-hitter. He also boxes and has long arms.”
Israil Madrimov’s punches marked Crawford’s face up, and he wasn’t loading up on his shots. He was reaching out to hit him with quick shots. If Madrimov had been busier in the second half of the fight, he would have won because he wasn’t busy enough in the last six rounds.
Being a switch-hitter isn’t enough for Crawford to win, because Canelo does well against southpaws. So, if Terence chooses to fight out of the lefty stance on September 13th, it won’t be the advantage that he or his fans believe it will. Canelo has too much experience to be thrown off by Crawford moving from righty to lefty all night. Changing stances might get Crawford hurt.
“He’s taller than Canelo and has the size advantage. He’s not wider in terms of muscle. He has what it takes to upset the boxing world and be the victor in that fight. I genuinely believe Bud is going to be the one who comes out with his hand raised,” said Carrington.
Crawford’s reach is similar to that of past Canelo opponents, including William Scull, Edgar Berlanga, and Jermell Charlo. Terence’s reach is 74, and theirs was 73. Canelo was still able to land his shots on them despite giving away 2 1/2 inches in reach. Alvarez’s reach is 70 1/2″.
