Kelly Pavlik Gives Surprising Advice To Terence Crawford About Canelo Alvarez Fight

Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford is now a little over a month away as the undisputed super middleweight title fight takes place on September 13 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Crawford is moving up two weight classes and much has already been said about how he might handle Canelo's power. The consensus belief is that going toe-to-toe and exchanging with Canelo might not be the best idea for Crawford.

And many fans and experts are giving their opinion on the matter, with former unified middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik now chiming in. Known for his famous comeback win against Jermain Taylor, Pavlik is also recognized as a smart boxing pundit.

Kelly Pavlik offers advice to Terence Crawford on Canelo Alvarez fight

The consensus is that Crawford needs to avoid Canelo's power in the early rounds. Pavlik, though, thinks Crawford should go and pressure the Mexican from the opening bell, resulting in Canelo slowing down during the latter part of the fight.

Speaking to Fight Hub TV, he said, "Use his reaction time, his natural abilities, his hand speed, that jab, switching from southpaw to orthodox, I wouldn't stay in one stance long enough for Canelo to figure out."

"Stay in Canelo's a** a little early on, put Canelo behind, even if it's three out of the first four rounds. Because when Canelo has to fight, when Canelo has to step it up, after seven rounds, he starts to fade a little bit. We've seen that with Bivol, with GGG."

Pavlik added that if Canelo gets pushed early in the fight, his endurance will fade. "If I was Crawford, I would stay in his a** in the early rounds and make him have to play catch-up in rounds 3, 4,5. Then by round 7, that's when he can really step it up."

Terence Crawford expects Canelo Alvarez to try and walk him down

Once again, the size difference is a key factor in the Canelo vs Crawford showdown. As Pavlik mentioned, while the fighters might not be too apart in terms of physicality, Canelo is accustomed to facing much bigger opponents, and Crawford isn't.

'Bud' has already revealed how he expects the contest to play out. Speaking to TMZ, he said, "He's the bigger man. I expect him to box a little bit, but I also expect him to try to walk me down and be the bigger man."

It's a massive fight with both fighters legacy's on the line. Canelo and Crawford are two of this generation's finest boxers and fans can expect a legendary contest next month.

Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford — IMAGO / Hoganphotos

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