Canelo Vs. Crawford: Will “Bud” Fight Or Go “Scull-esque” On Fight Night?

Canelo Alvarez says he hopes Terence Crawford comes to fight and not run on September 13th in their superfight in Las Vegas. He wants Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) to engage, and not run around the ring like his last opponent, former IBF super middleweight champion William Scull.

Canelo Wants Crawford to Engage

Crawford, 37, got the message from Turki Alalshikh yesterday when he said he wants “blood” and “smashed faces” for their main event fight on Netflix at Allegiant Stadium.

However, what’s troubling was Crawford’s immediate reaction to that message, where he said, “I’m not going to let somebody else force me or tell me how to fight.” He’s openly defying Turki with that comment. Terence obviously wouldn’t have said that if the contract wasn’t already signed for the fight.

“Scull-esque” Style Concerns Canelo

If you’re Canelo, it’s a good idea to plan for a Scull-esque style from Crawford, who will make things difficult for the Mexican star to get to him with his big power shots.

Even if Crawford does plan on making it entertaining, once he feels Alvarez’s punching power, he’ll get on his bike like he did against Viktor Postol and make it difficult for him to land. He doesn’t have a steel chin like Gennadiy Golovkin, who took Canelo’s big power shots for 12 rounds.

Alvarez Fears Crawford Movement

“I hope not because we expect a great fight, the fight of the century, right?” said Canelo Alvarez to the media when asked if Terence Crawford will make it a ‘Tom and Jerry’ type fight on September 13th. “I just think that. I feel the same way. I’m going to win the fight,” said Canelo Alvarez to the media about the Terence Crawford fight.

Canelo doesn’t want the former four-division world champion Crawford to move around, making it a cat and mouse type of fight like his last one against William Scull. With Turki Alalshikh heavily hyping up the Canelo-Crawford fight as “One of the best fights in the last 10 years.”

With the interest there is in this fight, it’ll be a letdown if Alvarez is forced to chase the 37-year-old Crawford around the ring for 12 rounds. If you’ve been following the Nebraska native’s career for the last 17 years, you’ve seen that he’s used a lot of movement in many of his fights.

Crawford’s Evasive Fight History

Crawford generally uses movement more against fighters with offensive skills. The Canelo fight would be one where Terence could choose to use movement to avoid the Mexican star’s power, at least in the early rounds when he’s at his strongest.

Fights Where Crawford Used Movement

Viktor Postol
Israil Madrimov
Kell Brook
David Avanesyan
Errol Spence
Ricky Burns
Shawn Porter

“I agree with that. People want to see good fights,” continued Canelo about Turki not wanting to see non-engagingTom and Jerry-type fights. “People want to see good fights, and I agree with Turki Alalshikh because people come and pay money to see good fights. Then the fighters come and run all night and do not make a good fight.”

Anyone could have predicted that Canelo’s last opponent, the Cuban William Scull, would use movement, because he’d already shown that in his past fights. What made that fight more difficult was Scull’s power, hand speed, and quick combinations.

Scull revealed that he’s powerful, and his hand speed was excellent for a super middleweight. His power and speed look better than Crawford’s. That’s why Canelo was unwilling to fight aggressively against Scull, because when he would trap him, he was getting hit with big shots in the exchanges. The speed bothered Canelo as well as the power. Crawford doesn’t punch like that and doesn’t possess hand speed.

Canelo’s Best Opponents List

“He’s going to be one of my best opponents for sure. Top 8, 7, 6, I don’t know,” said Alvarez on whether Crawford is one of his best opponents. He’s a great fighter. Let’s see on September 13th. We can make a bet,” said Canelo when told that Amir Khan predicts Crawford will beat him.

I’d rank Crawford below these past Canelo opponents

1. Floyd Mayweather Jr.
2. Dmitry Bivol
3. Gennadiy Golovkin
4. Erislandy Lara
5. Miguel Cotto
6. Jermell Charlo
7. Callum Smith

The way Crawford performed against Israil Madrimov in his debut at 154, he’d lose to all of those fighters when Canelo fought them.

It remains to be seen if Crawford will be among Canelo’s top 8 “best opponents” he’s ever faced. This fight could prove to be no better than his clash against Jermell Charlo, because Crawford is less powerful than Charlo or Scull, and is undersized. The weight that he’s put on doesn’t make him a super middleweight.