Boxing trainer turned analyst Teddy Atlas has given his thoughts ahead of a potential super fight between Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and Terence Crawford.
Crawford is coming off a career defining victory against welterweight rival Errol Spence, dominating the former champion to become undisputed at a second weight class.
Since that fight, he has consistently called out Canelo, a man who holds all the belts at super-middleweight, three classes above where ‘Bud’ last competed. Although the Mexican was first dismissive of the clash, recently he announced he will step in the ring with the 36-year-old if the money is right – and with the boxing brains in Saudi Arabia showing their intent on making it happen, Canelo may just have his demands met.
Speaking to Fight Hub TV about Crawford’s chances, Atlas was full off praise for the ‘special’ American fighter.
“People forget he’s already moved up three weight classes, so now you’e talking six. Six is a lot, three he had the skeleton for. Does he have the skeleton to go up six? I don’t know if he does.
I know he has the character and the mind, I know he has special gifts that very few fighters have.
Crawford has the ability to slow things down in the ring that very few people have and to see things that nobody else can see because he slows it down and that’s what makes his timing so special, it’s better than anyone else’s.
For him it’s more than money, it’s legacy it’s challenge, it’s what we used to see in the 80’s.”
The pundit is picking Crawford to get the win as he simply can’t ‘ever go against him’.
“Very few people have the appetite or inclination for challenging themselves, Mr Crawford does.
I ain’t never going against that guy. Father Time might catch him, but I don’t know if a weight class can catch him.
It’s a tremendous challenge because Canelo is a tremendous fighter and bigger and strong and he can punch and time you. But just because you’re smaller… Crawford will come up with a gameplan that will make the other guy use his size.
Crawford returns to the ring for the first time since beating Spence on August 3 when he moves up one division to super-welterweight to challenge Israil Madrimov for his WBA world title.
Canelo was last out in May, a routine win over Jaime Munguia via wide decision on the scorecards. He’s expected to fight again in September but an opponent is yet to be announced.
