Tyson Against Crawford’s Move To Fight Canelo At 168 – ‘I Don’t Like That, It’s Just Too Much Weight’

Mike Tyson has criticized Terence Crawford’s decision to fight Canelo Alvarez. 

Crawford is chasing history by moving up to 168 pounds in order to try to become undisputed in a third weight class. That requires him to jump up two weight divisions from 154 pounds. Canelo will box William Scull for the latter’s IBF Super Middleweight Title in May. There is an expectation that Canelo will win that fight, as the Crawford bout would then be for undisputed. Crawford has already been undisputed at junior welterweight and welterweight. He has achieved undisputed success in two weight classes alongside Oleksandr Usyk and Naoya Inoue, who are the two other men in the four-belt era.

But if he were to beat Canelo for undisputed at 168 pounds, Bud would become the first man to achieve this feat, putting him down as arguably one of the greatest fighters of all time. Crawford will have to do something that others have failed. Jermell Charlo moved up from 154 pounds in 2023 to face Canelo.

But he lost a one-sided unanimous decision in a toothless performance. There are worries that Crawford may be biting off more than he can chew. Weight classes do exist for a reason, as there are questions over whether his speed and power will be able to translate at 168 pounds. Tyson is not a fan of this fight, as he suggested Crawford should look elsewhere. 

He mentioned possible fights against the Charlos. However, the Charlos do not offer Crawford any belts, and it is not the biggest fight out there. A Canelo bout gives him a lucrative payday. Tyson also suggested a fight against Jaron Ennis. Crawford was meant to box Ennis when the latter was his IBF mandatory at 147.

Tyson Reacts

But Crawford was contracted to face Errol Spence Jr. in the rematch. The rematch broke down, but Crawford eventually moved up to 154. Bud was stripped as Ennis became the full champion. Ennis is also risky for Crawford since he offers him no belts. Tyson was not going to change his mind about the Canelo fight, but Teddy Atlas has given him a shot of winning of the bout. 

“You know, I don’t like that fight. I don’t like that fight. It’s just too much weight. He had a close fight with the last guy he fought [Madrimov] cause this guy was big and he was awkward. I want to see him fight one of the Charlo brothers. Or the young brother from Philadelphia, I forgot his name. Ennis. And I want to see Boots Ennis fight one of the Charlo brothers then come back down [in weight.],” Tyson said 

“His feet were never fast, as witnessed years ago when he couldn’t close the gaps with [Floyd] Mayweather and later with [Erislandy] Lara. So if Crawford can fight a disciplined fight at range, using his legs appropriately, getting angles and controlling pace, yeah, he can win,” Atlas stated 

Find all the latest boxing news and MMA breaking updates on boxingnews.com.