Boxing

Oscar De La Hoya Warns Terence Crawford Could Make Costly 'Mistake' After Canelo

Terence Crawford might want to heed this clear warning from Oscar De la Hoya in the wake of beating Canelo Alvarez.
Grant Young|
Jan. 25, 2024; Phoenix, Ariz; USA; Oscar De La Hoya speaks during a press conference for Golden Boy boxing event.
Jan. 25, 2024; Phoenix, Ariz; USA; Oscar De La Hoya speaks during a press conference for Golden Boy boxing event. | Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

The boxing community is being made to wait patiently to see what Terence Crawford is going to do next in his career after beating Canelo Alvarez on September 13.

Now that Crawford has taken Canelo's undisputed super middleweight belts and secured his place as one of the greatest boxers this century, there's a case to be made that Crawford should retire right now while he's still on top.

While Crawford seemingly hasn't decided about what he's going to do next, if he does return, it will likely be to challenge another champion for their belts.

And should he return, Crawford is likely going to be the favorite against whoever he fights. But that doesn't mean the 38-year-old couldn't slip on a banana peel, so to speak, and suffer the first loss of his professional career next time he enters the ring.

Oscar De La Hoya Warns Terence Crawford About Next Fight

Terence Crawford on September 9, 2025.
Terence Crawford on September 9, 2025. | IMAGO / Hoganphotos

Boxing legend Oscar De La Hoya could see things going south for Crawford in his next bout, which he relayed during an October 20 interview with Ariel Helwani.

"I've always been impressed with Terence," De La Hoya said when asked whether Crawford's performance against Canelo impressed him. When Helwani asked whether he was surprised by the fight's outcome, he said, "I was not surprised at all. I mean, I called it, I don't know how many days before.

"I know Canelo, I promoted him. I know exactly what he cannot handle and what he can handle, where he looks great and where he doesn't. And Crawford was the perfect opponent, or fighter, to derail the train. That was the bottom line. You move on Canelo a little bit, and he gets lost," De La Hoya continued.

Helwani then asked De La Hoya whether he thinks Crawford will retire.

"No," De La Hoya said. "Not at all... Now he has a taste of seven figures, eight figures, whatever it might be. Once you get a taste of that, towards the end of your career, you're gonna make a few mistakes.

"Not that I'm saying Crawford is gonna lose, and this, and that. But one thing about Crawford is that he's gonna take the tough fights, unlike Canelo right now, towards the end of his career. And guess what? He might make a mistake, and he might choose the wrong opponent and lose."

De La Hoya concluded this stance by saying, "But that's what great fighters do. If you fight the greats, and you might lose to a great, you're still great."

In other words, De La Hoya believes Crawford should pick his next fight very wisely.

The Latest Boxing News

Conor Benn Names The Fighter He Is 'Highly Likely' To Face After Chris Eubank Jr

David Benavidez Ranks His Top Three Pound-For-Pound Boxers — And Explains Why

Roy Jones Jr Blasts Dana White Over UFC Promoter's Boxing Venture

Oscar De La Hoya Predicts Turki Alalshikh's 'Demand' For Next Canelo Alvarez Fight

Published
Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

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.