Terence Crawford has landed a fight against Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, with an official announcement pending.
The switch-hitter from Omaha, Nebraska first called out the elite Mexican after he became undisputed at welterweight with a statement win over Errol Spence Jr. Since then, while Canelo has continued to defend his belts at super-middleweight, Crawford moved up to super-welterweight to defeat Israil Madrimov and become a four-division world champion.
Despite being pound-for-pound one of the best fighters in the world, he still has a gap of two weight classes between his last outing and Canelo’s stomping ground. The fight, as revealed by ‘Bud’s teammate recently, is set for September 13. Both men then have the opportunity to take a fight in the interim, with Canelo likely to keep his regular date in May for Cinco De Mayo.
Many feel that it would be wise for Crawford to take a bout at middleweight or even go straight to 168 pounds where he will face Alvarez to get acclimatised. That will not be the case. The 37-year-old told Boxing Scene that the next time he steps through the ropes will be for this mega fight, then talked up how comfortable he is with packing on the extra pounds.
“People say, ‘You’re too small’ or ‘You’re outmatched’ or ‘You don’t belong in the ring with these types of fighters.’ That’s when great fighters perform their best.
“I’m going to feel great [at 168]. I don’t need to worry about the weight. I know I’m going to feel great. I’ve got a lot of things to prepare on. That’s part of boxing – [meeting] milestones you’ve got to hit. We’re going to be well prepared when that time comes.”
An official announcement on the plans is expected soon. Canelo, who is unified champion after being stripped of the IBF belt, may look to face new champion William Scull in May to become undisputed again.
