Trainer Buddy McGirt says he disagrees with the close scores turned in for the Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford fight on September 13 in Las Vegas.
McGirt Blasts “Unfair” Judging
Buddy states that Crawford (42-0, 31 KOs) dominated from start to finish, and believes the two judges who scored the fight close at 115-113 should turn in their licenses. The judges didn’t appear to be enthralled with all the moving Crawford did throughout the fight.
His movement gave the impression that he was running from the undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo (63-3-2, 39 KOs). There was no other way to see it other than Crawford avoiding contact and not dominating.
Was Crawford Running From Canelo?
The fight resembled a classic definition of a Tom and Jerry-style match for the first eight rounds, and even at points in the championship rounds. Canelo did the chasing, and Crawford did the running. It was easy to understand why the two judges scored the fight close, as when you have a runner being chased by a champion, how do you give that person rounds?
“I heard Terence had to win the last two rounds. Which fight were they watching?” said trainer ‘Buddy’ McGirt to MillCity Boxing, talking about the two judges who turned in 115-113 scores for the Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford fight.
A Call for Judges’ Licenses
“For situations like that, they should ask them, ‘Turn in your license,’ because there’s no way the fight was that close. It’s not fair,” said McGirt about the judges.
I personally think those two judges should be commended for their fine performances in their scoring, as they had in the closest to how the fight played out. If they were in the military, I would recommend they be given a promotion and or ribbons of honor for the fine scores they turned in.
Crawford just ran around the ring for eight of the twelve rounds, looking like a person being chased by an angry dog. It was unbelievable. He was receiving $50 million from Turki Alalshikh, and this is the type of effort he turned in. What a disappointment. Canelo was the aggressor throughout, at least trying to earn the $150 million he’d been paid.
The Case for a 114-114 Draw
To me, the fight was a 114-114 draw. So, the 115-113 scores those two judges turned in was the closest thing that matched the reality of what took place in the ring.
“You get a guy like Terence that dominates from beginning to end, then you find out he needed the last two rounds to win,” said McGirt.
Canelo’s Aggression vs. Crawford’s Movement
There was no domination from Crawford. It was a close fight for the first eight rounds, with Canelo attacking a skittish, frightened-looking, constantly moving Crawford. Alvarez was landing hard body shots and only getting hit with jabs. I scored six of the first eight rounds to Canelo due to his aggression and body shots.
In the championship rounds, nine through twelve, Crawford got the better of Alvarez with his counter-punching. There were two brief flurries from Bud in rounds nine and twelve. Other than that, it was cautious stuff from Crawford against a tired-looking Canelo in the final four rounds.
As such, I scored the fight as a draw. Again, that was no domination, and the two judges who scored it 115-113 gave the clearest picture of the three in the outcome, in my opinion. Going into the fight, I had no preference for who won. It didn’t matter to me, but I just saw it as a draw and wasn’t impressed with Crawford or Canelo.
Crawford’s Disappointing Performance
Neither turned in a fight worthy of the hype or the $200 million in purses they split between them. It was more like a fight between fighters making $50 thousand. It was a low-level performance and disappointing, given all the hype surrounding them. The real fight on the card that stole the show was the Christian Mbilli vs. Lester Martinez undercard clash, which I believe should have been the co-feature.
McGirt’s Advice: Avoid Jake Paul
Buddy advises that Canelo not take “easy fights” against Jake Paul before retiring. He argues that Alvarez should retire by losing to “the best” rather than fighting Jake.
McGirt believes that fans will give Canelo credit if they note that his last fight before retirement was a loss to Crawford rather than going out against Paul. He states that Alvarez has put in too much work in his career to ride off into the sunset with that type of fight.
More Money-Grab Than Superfight?
I disagree with Buddy. The money and the attention Canelo would make fighting Jake Paul make it worthwhile. I believe it would eclipse the $150 million he received from his so-called superfight against Crawford. That fight was essentially a gimmick, circus-level money-grab, which had nothing to do with sports in my opinion.
Crawford didn’t earn the fight by facing the top contenders, Osleys Iglesias and Christian Mbilli, to challenge Canelo. If Terence had to fight either of them to earn his shot, I think he would have been weeded out.
In a real sport, you’re supposed to earn the shot at the championship by going through the playoffs. In boxing, you fight the top contenders. Crawford was allowed to circumvent the process, which made the contest exhibition-like or circus-like, whatever name you want to call it.
It was just about money and no different than what a match between Canelo and Jake Paul would be about. This is business, not sports.
