Promoter Eddie Hearn predicts that Terence Crawford’s “movement” is going to give Canelo Alvarez problems in their superfight on September 13th.
Hearn says Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) has got to use movement and “make it boring’ for him to defeat undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo (63-2-2, 39 KOs).
The Question of Crawford’s Resume
“If you look at Canelo’s resume, it’s unbelievable. But Crawford really hasn’t had the fights,” said Eddie Hearn to Ring Magazine. “I said to him, ‘Who’s your best win?’ He said, ‘Ricky Burns.’ He was one of my fighters. Ricky Burns was a great champion, but where are the pound-for-pound wins?”
Hearn left out Viktor Postol. That’s the other fighter that Crawford claims was an “elite” one on his 17-year resume. Crawford will never have the resume that Canelo had, and it’s too late now for him to try to match it. He’s run out of time. Even if he was ambitious, his once-a-year fight schedule would prevent him from building up his resume.
“This is the fight that will make Terence great. I give him every chance in the [Canelo] fight,” said Hearn. “I think size is going to be a problem. Is Canelo getting old? One of the things that is so admirable about Canelo Alvarez is that he keeps competing. He keeps having his training camps, and he still has the fire in his belly.”
Setting a High Bar
I believe it’s going to take more than beating Canelo, 35, to make Crawford a great. Fans saw Alvarez’s fight against William Scull, and they know from that lackluster performance that he’s not the fighter he once was. So, for Crawford to prove himself as “great,” he’s going to need to beat three or four fighters from this list:
– David Benavidez
– Dmitry Bivol
– Jaron Ennis
– Vergil Ortiz Jr.
– Bakhram Murtazaliev
– Sebastian Fundora
– Artur Beterbiev
– David Morrell
Beating three or four of these fighters would make Crawford a “great.” In estimation, I don’t believe Crawford can beat any of those fighters. They’re all fighting at too high a level. Even ‘Boots’ Ennis would likely be too much for the soon-to-be 38-year-old Crawford. We saw how Terence looked against Israil Madrimov on May 3, 2024. In my opinion, Crawford’s performance was just as bad as Canelo’s last.
Will Crawford Fight a Boring Fight?
“I think for the Crawford fight, he’ll really get himself up for that fight. I just think the movement is going to cause him a lot of problems. Crawford has got to fight a boring fight to beat him. He’ll engage way more than Scull. I had the fight quite close. 115-113. Maybe 116-112, and that was Scull. Crawford is on another level than that,” said Hearn about the Canelo vs. William Scull fight on May 3, 2025.
The Tom and Jerry Ultimatum
Right now would be a good time for Turki Alalshikh to remind the fighters on the September 13 event about his Tom and Jerry mandate. He needs to let them know in a gentle hint and remind them that he won’t “support” any Jerry-esque fighters if they choose to run from their opponents. Crawford will get the message.
With the money Turki is paying Bud, it would be a good idea for him not to use a lot of movement against Canelo. The fans are expecting to be entertained. With Turki labeling the Canelo-Crawford clash, “The Fight of the Century,” it puts pressure on Terence not to run.
Chris Williams is a veteran writer with 20 years of experience covering the sport. When he isn’t writing, he enjoys fishing, river rafting, and mountain climbing, along with a good game of pool with friends. He also enjoys gaming.