Canelo Outlines The Key To Beating Crawford – ‘Work The Body’
Canelo Alvarez has given his take on a keys to beating Terence Crawford.
Canelo is coming off a win over Jaime Munguia as he retained his Undisputed Super Middleweight Title. After the fight, Canelo suggested he would only fight David Benavidez for $200 million. That makes the fight unlikely, with the Saudis reportedly wanting to make the Crawford fight instead. Canelo has agreed on a deal with his IBF mandatory, William Scull. Reports indicate it is a step-aside deal, with Edgar Berlanga, Chris Eubank Jr. and Jermall Charlo being the leading names.
Canelo Vs. Crawford
After that fight, fans could see Canelo-Crawford. The match-up is an intriguing one. Crawford would have to move up two weight classes from 154 pounds to take on his biggest career challenge to become a three-weight undisputed champion. Bud is undefeated and can fight from orthodox and southpaw. He is also deceptively strong, which he showed against Errol Spence Jr. Spence was the bigger man, but Crawford outmuscled him to get the stoppage in round nine.
That kept Crawford’s 100 percent KO rate at welterweight. He will now fight Israil Madrimov on August 3 in his first bout at 154. Madrimov is heavy-handed, with a 10-0-1 record, which includes seven KOs.
Canelo, meanwhile, is known for being a strong puncher with a granite chin. He fought GGG three times and was never dropped. While there are suggestions that GGG was robbed in the first fight, the history books will suggest otherwise.
Canelo Reacts
Alvarez is also a more experienced boxer with over 60 fights. His only losses have come against fighters who can box and move. The defeats to Floyd Mayweather and Dmitry Bivol proved that. But to pull off that game plan, Crawford must get Alvarez to respect his power. Otherwise, Canelo will likely walk him down, which he did to Caleb Plant. If they face off, Canelo felt it was all about patience.
“I think Crawford [would be tough to prepare for] because he goes southpaw and orthodox. I think he’s a very difficult fighter. Just be patient. Prepare myself like always and be patient, work the body [but] I think being patient is the key. Everybody looks for the head, and it’s very difficult to his that kind of fighter in the head,” Canelo said
Who Wins?
Despite this, Crawford’s trainer, Brian McIntyre, felt Bud would outbox Canelo.
“Bud beats [him]. Just outbox[es] him. It [the weight difference] don’t matter – Bud been fighting big people all his…life. Power? We know how to roll with punches…..we’ll take your power away from you. How do you take the power away from a power-puncher? I ain’t gonna tell you! Timing. [If the fight happens] it’d be an Errol Spence-Crawford II.
“I respect that [Canelo said he would gain nothing from the fight], because you get beat by the smaller man, now you gonna look like a [fool]’ Hard boxing fans know that Bud could beat Canelo. He might be bigger, but he don’t got the height, he ain’t got the reach. He’s got a good boxing IQ, but he don’t have that crazy IQ that Terence has,” McIntyre stated
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