Boxing

Max Kellerman's Clear Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford Prediction Turns Heads

Max Kellerman didn't mince words when assessing Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford.
Grant Young|
IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

The lion's share of the hype around the September 13 fight between Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford is owed to the fact that these are two of the best boxers of this generation going toe to toe. And given that they've fought at vastly different weights throughout their respective careers, nobody could have predicted that they'd ultimately meet.

But there are plenty of other reasons to get excited about this showdown, which is taking place at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. One is that the broadcast team is full of legends who will be leading what's sure to be a world-class production. And one of these is sports journalist and media personality Max Kellerman.

While Kellerman cut his teeth in the sports world through boxing, he also began covering more mainstream sports during his time at ESPN. He hosted various ESPN shows throughout his prestigious career, including First Take alongside the notorious Stephen A. Smith, while also sometimes appearing on HBO's boxing coverage.

Canelo Alvarez (right) and Gennady Golovkin (left) are interviewed by Max Kellerman on May 6, 2017
May 6, 2017; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Canelo Alvarez (right) and Gennady Golovkin (left) are interviewed by Max Kellerman (middle) to promote their September bout at T-Mobile Arena. Alvarez won via unanimous decision. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

However, Kellerman hasn't done any boxing coverage since he was laid off by ESPN Back in 2023. But he's making his return to the sweet science for this Canelo vs. Crawford fight as an analyst, alongside Andre Ward.

MORE: Terence Crawford Sends Blunt Message On Physical Appearance Ahead Of Canelo Alvarez Fight

Max Kellerman Makes Alvarez vs. Crawford Prediction

Ring Magazine posted a video on X on August 30 that showed Kellerman detailing how he thinks this upcoming superfight is going to go down.

"Crawford," Kellerman said, thus cementing his prediction. "There's a reason that I think Crawford's the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, right? And Canelo once was. So even though Crawford is biologically older, Canelo has had the longer career. He has been fighting since he's a teenager, and there has been signs recently that he's maybe not the same guy that he used to be."

Kellerman later added, "The last time I saw Crawford, he moved up yet another division, beat at the time a guy I thought was the best fighter in the division — turns out he wasn't, but I thought he was at the time — and before that, [Crawford] just annihilated Errol Spence. So if you look at all the boxes, I'm gonna check Crawford for most of them, if not all of them."

Kellerman did add that Canelo is favored in terms of odds because he does a lot of things well and because he's the naturally bigger guy. But Canelo's size advantage clearly isn't swaying Kellerman from siding with Crawford.

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Grant Young
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Grant Young is a Staff Writer for On SI’s Boxing, New York Mets, Indiana Fever, and Women’s Fastbreak sites. Before joining SI in 2024, he wrote for various boxing and sports verticals such as FanBuzz and NY Fights. Young has a bachelor’s degree in marketing and a master’s degree in creative writing with an emphasis on sports nonfiction from the University of San Francisco, where he played five seasons of Division 1 baseball. He fought Muay Thai professionally in Thailand in 2023, loves a good essay, and is driven crazy trying to handle a pitpull puppy named Aura. Young lives in San Diego and was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area.