Boxing

Angry Canelo Alvarez Issues Billy Joe Saunders Warning To Terence Crawford

Angry Canelo Alvarez vows to deal with Terence Crawford like he did with Billy Joe Saunders.
Apratim Banerjee|
IMAGO / Agencia-MexSport

The build-up to Canelo vs Crawford is slowly getting heated. The two fighters initially shared a friendly vibe and mutal respect between them. That, however, has now changed.

It all started during their New York City press conference face off where Canelo pushed Crawford. Some suggested it was fabricated to raise hype for the fight.

During their Las Vegas press conference, the pair were involved in several verbal back-and-forth duels. Canelo questioned Crawford's resume and suggested 'Bud' hasn't fought anyone elite. Crawford, meanwhile, reminded Canelo of his defeat against Dmitry Bivol.

Canelo has now stated that he's been "pi**ed off" since the New York City faceoff and vowed to bring the same fate to Crawford that he did to Billy Joe Saunders.

Saunders repeatedly winded Canelo up leading up to their 2021 fight. The Brit started the actual fight pretty well and boxed masterfully before being caught with a vicious Canelo upper-cut which broke his orbital bone. Saunders was forced to quit on the stool after round eight and hasn't fought since.

Alvarez seemingly has similar plans for Crawford, as he told Fight Hub TV:

[It's] a little bit more personal. Because I did respect him. I don't respect him anymore because he said, 'Oh, I am not gonna do what they tell me to do' and then he tried to. Maybe Turki Alalshikh told him, 'Hey! You need to do something because you seem seemed so nervous in Riyadh.'

When asked how would an angry Canelo prepare for Terence Crawford, he said:

You watched Saunders fight, right? He pi**ed me off. So, it's gonna be almost the same.

Canelo Alvarez further suggested that Terence Crawford is not confident ahead of the fight. However, he does respect Crawford's skills and what 'Bud' has achieved so far in the sport. Canelo also ranks this as one of the best fights of his career.

Considering the involvement of Netflix, Dana White, and Riyadh Season, Canelo thinks it's perhaps the most hyped fight of his career. That's a big statement considering the names he has already fought.

Despite all the factors, Canelo Alvarez seems more than confident that he'll beat Terence Crawford and remain the undisputed super middleweight champion. The September 13 clash will take place at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

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Apratim Banerjee
APRATIM BANERJEE

Apratim is a Boxing and Soccer reporter for On SI. He has been in the industry for five years, having also worked for The Sporting News, Sportskeeda, EssentiallySports, and more. After coming from an engineering background, he started pursuing a career in sports media. Apratim also holds an MSc. Sport Marketing degree from Loughborough University London and is a keen practitioner of social media and digital marketing. In his spare time, Apratim likes to play an array of sports and practice calisthenics. He is also an avid enthusiast of improving his martial arts skills.