Julio Cesar Chavez Sr has weighed in on how Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez’s undisputed super-middleweight world title defence against Terence Crawford will play out.
Canelo looks to continue his undefeated run in the division, having only lost at a lower weight to Floyd Mayweather and a higher one against Dmitry Bivol.
Crawford, who last fought at 154lbs, makes the jump to 168 in search of a legacy-defining win that would see him become an unprecedented three-weight undisputed champion.
Opinions in the sport as to who comes out on top are mixed. More were leaning towards Canelo in the beginning, and plenty still are, however his latest performance against William Scull in which he struggled to cut the ring off saw some change their minds.
Speaking to ES News, Mexican great Chavez Sr could not see past the previous gulf in weight when making his pick, backing his countryman to score a stoppage not far past the halfway stage.
“Canelo will knock him out in six or seven rounds. Crawford is a good fighter but there’s weight classes [for a reason].”
Crawford’s decision to focus on putting on weight in the gym the right way rather than having an easier fight at 160 or 168 will be put to the test come September 13 in Las Vegas.
Should he win, there may be a rematch depending on the result. If not, retirement is a very real possibility. If the Mexican retains his belts, he has more fights in his Riyadh Season deal and has already been lined up to face either Hamzah Sheeraz or Chris Eubank Jr, depending on how their next fights play out.
