Terence Crawford posted on X a photo of himself posing with Turki Al-Sheikh, which confirms he is making a deal for his big money fight against Canelo Alvarez in September.
(Credit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing)
Crawford used a Emoji with king’s crown along with his photo as if he looks at him like some kind of monarch after being given the fight he was begging for. This fight is Crawford’s golden parachute retirement day. Think of it as Canelo vs. Jermell Charlo 2.0.
Is it asking too much of Crawford to test himself first against at least one assassin at 168? Turki should hold Crawford’s feet to the fire, telling him he needs to beat David Benavidez first to get that payday against Canelo. Just let Terence fight Benavidez and let him prove he deserves to meet King Canelo.
Mayweather Blueprint 2.0
It’s that kind of mismatch. I just hope Turki sells it cheap at the PPV because it will be a mismatch and probably boring if Crawford follows through Mayweather design about how he fought Alvarez in 2013. Crawford’s trainer, Brian ‘BoMac’ McIntyre, has already said that they are going to follow the Mayweather plan by “boxing, moving and tying” Canelo up all night. It will be very, very boring to watch. He said Crawford would follow that to the T, which would be pure eye poison.
I wouldn’t mind seeing Canelo vs. Crawford if it’s free as part of a regular DAZN subscription because it’s a circus-level fight. Crawford just moved up to 154 and looked awful, and now he’s going to move up two more divisions with no experience, no test, no title win and fight Canelo. It’s a joke.
Turki needs to politely tell Crawford if he wants the cash for a Canelo fight, he’s going to show some grit by fighting Morrell or Benavidez to show he deserves to be in the King’s presence. Let me be the one to tell Crawford. I’ll break it to him.
Former four-division world champion Crawford looked like a middleweight last August, moving up from 147 to 154 to challenge WBA champion Israel Manrimov for his title.
Two Divisions Too Far
Crawford was unimpressive, needing to rally late to win a 12-round unanimous decision against Madrimov. He could have easily lost this fight if Madrimov had the sense to know that he should go on the attack instead of continuing to potshot. The 40-year-old Crawford’s performance showed he had hit his ceiling for what he is capable of.
If he moved up to 160 to face the killer Janibek Alimkhanuly or 168 to face Benavidez, the jig would be up. Crawford would be slaughtered due to the size, youth and talent of these fighters.
Fans are divided on whether the 37-year-old Crawford being given the fight against Canelo is good for the sport a further downgrade, turning boxing into a non-sport. Obviously, in a real sport, Crawford would have to outplay other teams to reach the top level.
There would be a season, playoffs, and then the finals. We’re seeing Crawford skip all that jump on fighters who would probably beat him, like David Benavidez, David Morel, Diego Pacheco, Christian Billy and Ousleys Iglesias. If this was an exhibition match, it would make sense, but it’s not.
Crawford moves up two weight classes to win an undefeated world title against WBA, WBC and WBO super middleweight champion Canelo in September. How is this allowed to happen?
👑🤫 pic.twitter.com/Dbwka4qise
— Terence Crawford (@terencecrawford) January 13, 2025
