Regis Prograis Doubts Terence Crawford’s Chances Against Canelo Alvarez At 168 Lbs

Regis Prograis doesn’t see any way that Terence Crawford will defeat 168-lb undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez on September 13th. Prograis points out that Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) is jumping up two weight classes, and not just fighting a bigger fighter, but somebody that is “so damn good.”

Power Concerns for Crawford

Crawford is putting on weight, but that extra size doesn’t guarantee he’ll have an increase in power. It doesn’t work like that. Fighters who bulk up suddenly are rarely any stronger than they were when they were lighter. The extra weight slows them down, causing them to tire faster.

In Crawford’s case, it’s just weight that is going against him. He’s been inactive for a long time, out of the ring for a year, and has only been fighting annually since 2020. He hasn’t shown the motivation to fight two to three times a year like other fighters do.

Laziness Theory Explored

Is it laziness or his desire to enjoy himself for extended periods? If a person hates working and they’ve been a millionaire for years, it’s understandable why they would kick back. Whatever the reason, it doesn’t matter. Crawford has still been inactive, and he’s not young at 38-ish. He can say he’s young for his age, but he didn’t look it in his last fight.

He looked all of 38 when he fought Israil Madrimov last August, and that was a year ago. Now, Terence could easily pass for 39. He’s not going to be carded if he chooses to go to a liquor store, that’s for sure.

Prograis on Crawford’s Size

“I’ve always been high on Crawford, but you’re fighting somebody so damn good and big at the same time. Two divisions,” said Regis Prograis to MillCity Boxing about what Terence Crawford is up against, moving up two weight classes to challenge Canelo Alvarez for his undisputed super middleweight championship on September 13th. “It’s hard for me to say Bud is going to win. I’ve been a Crawford fan.”

Crawford could have helped himself if he’d used the year he’s been out of the ring to move up to 168 and fight one of the contenders to stay sharp. Why didn’t he do that? One theory is that Crawford didn’t want to get exposed and shown that he’s too small, old, and not capable of making the weight jump. In other words, fear.

The only other explanation for Terence not doing that is laziness. He didn’t want to do the hard work of returning to training camp, bulk up, and get manhandled.

“I know that Crawford probably sparred with heavyweights,” said Regis. “But it’s always different when you get in with a person, and that person can take your punches, and it depends on how well Crawford can take the punches from Canelo. Jermell [Charlo], looked way bigger than Canelo, but then they fought, and you could see the difference. You could see the size difference.”

It wasn’t just the size. When Jermell got in the ring with Canelo, he couldn’t handle the power. Once he got hit by Canelo, he didn’t want anymore. He didn’t have that GGG toughness to stand in the pocket and fight Canelo.

Canelo’s Build: A Challenge

“It’s different when you’re weighing in with someone,” said Prograis. “Jermell was bigger [than Canelo]. It’s a big difference when you’re in there with that person. We’re going to see that now. Right now, Crawford looks the same as Canelo. Body-wise, he looks the same. It looks like Crawford is getting bigger.”

Terence is as big as Canelo, but his power is not going to be improved over what it was a year ago. When he bulked up and fought at 154 against Madrimov, Crawford was still punching like a welterweight. His shots had no effect. Against Canelo, it’ll be even more noticeable.

“When you get in the ring, it’s always going to be different. Canelo is short and squat. His neck is way out here. Canelo is built like a wrestler,” said Prograis.