Bradley: Crawford Top Of His Generation If He Beats Canelo

Tim Bradley feels that Terence Crawford will become the best fighter of his generation if he beats Canelo Alvarez. 

Reports indicate that Crawford will face Alvarez in September on Mexican Independence Weekend in a super middleweight clash. The fight will see him move up two weight classes from 154 pounds to try and secure one the greatest wins of his career. Canelo is scheduled to fight the IBF Super Middleweight Champion William Scull in May on Cinco de Mayo. The victory will make Canelo a two-time undisputed champion at 168 pounds, giving Crawford the opportunity to become a three-weight undisputed champion. 

Bud has already cleaned up all the belts at 140 and 147. He joined Oleksandr Usyk and Naoya Inoue as the two other men in the four-belt era. But he can separate himself from the pack if he beats Canelo for undisputed. That would naturally put him in the conversation for being one of the best fighters of all time, based on his achievements.

Other greats, such as Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, did not achieve that, but they have arguably faced much tougher opposition. Bradley felt that Bud would put himself in the conversation for being the best of his generation, at the very least, leaving the question of his status as an all-time great up to the wider fans. 

Bradley Reacts

“This is a fight for Crawford to show the entire world that he’s the best fighter on the planet. After this, there should be no question, and that’s what he wants. He’s willing to take that risk so that there’s no question who the best fighter is on planet Earth, and he truly believes that with all his heart. If he gets this win, it’s huge.

"I don’t think there’s ever been anybody who came up from 135 all the way to 168 lbs and is the best guy out there. This will be uncharted territory for this sport. Where that ranks at, I don’t know, but Terence Crawford would be considered one of the best fighters on the planet Earth if he gets this win. In this generation at least, but as far as overall, I don’t know. I’ll let the fans decide that,” Bradley said 

Crawford’s biggest win so far was against Errol Spence Jr. in 2023. He dropped Spence three times on his way to knocking him out in the ninth round. Canelo credited this as Crawford’s only big win, saying he had not fought anybody. Crawford’s team has always argued that their fighter has the ability to make great fighters look ordinary.

Crawford has also secured wins over Amir Khan, Kell Brook and Shawn Porter. While Khan and Brook were not in their prime, Porter was coming off a good performance against Spence. He lost out on a split decision against Spence in a fight that he could have won. Crawford’s team said they would prove that their man was the best, as they were confident about their chances. So the question is can Crawford deliver?

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