Oscar De La Hoya has issued a warning to Mexican superstar Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez ahead of his mega-fight against Terence Crawford.
Canelo and Crawford are set to collide in September of this year after months of speculation finally came to a halt when the fight was announced earlier this month. The 34-year-old from Guadalajara, Mexico will be defending his unified WBC, WBA and WBO super middleweight titles against ‘Bud’, who could become a five weight world champion if he is victorious.
The stakes of the highly anticipated clash between the pound-for-pound stars could be raised even higher come fight night, as Canelo bids to become a two-time undisputed super middleweight champion. The Mexican icon faces IBF champion William Scull on May 3, and if successful will hold all four world titles at 168lbs once again, leaving ‘Bud’ Crawford just one victory away from achieving undisputed status in a third weight division.
Speaking to Fight Hype, De La Hoya sent Canelo a stern warning ahead of the Crawford showdown, claiming he ‘cannot sleep’ on the 37-year-old from Omaha.
“You can’t sleep on him, you cannot sleep on him.”
De La Hoya believes the Crawford’s ability may even out Canelo’s weight advantage.
“I think it’s a great fight, a great fight for boxing. Look, I mean, you have to give a shot at any fighter inside that ring because you never know one punch, two punches, Canelo’s weight, Crawford’s abilities and footwork.”
Crawford is tasked with moving up two whole divisions in readiness for September’s mega-fight, in what will undoubtedly be the toughest test of his incredible career. The 37-year-old’s most recent triumph came in a points victory over Israil Madrimov back in August, where he became the WBA light middleweight champion in what many said was a lacklustre performance.
