Boxing

Ryan Garcia Admits Ominous 'Problem' Canelo Alvarez Has vs Terence Crawford

Ryan Garcia didn't mince words when assessing what Canelo Alvarez is lacking before he fights Terence Crawford.
Grant Young|
Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

There are now just two days until the most highly anticipated fight of the 2025 boxing calendar, when Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford face off at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Every prominent name in the boxing community has given their opinion on this fight. One such example is with Ryan Garcia, who was a guest on an August 29 episode of Cigar Talk and said, "Bud's going to do good. He's going to do good, but I don't think he's going to win. But I do see Bud like getting a lot of punches off, being able to tag Canelo with some shots, but they have no effect. That's the thing."

In his ultimate prediction on how the fight will play out, Garcia added, "Don't get me wrong, Crawford is a great fighter. I think he's one of the best. I just think that he's biting a little bit more than he could chew [with Canelo]."

Ryan Garcia during an April 20, 2023 press conference.
Ryan Garcia during an April 20, 2023 press conference. | IMAGO / Hoganphotos

Ryan Garcia Adds Further Insight on Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford

While Garcia once thought Canelo was going to emerge victorious, it seems that he now is either switching his opinion or believes that Canelo has a much tougher task ahead of him than he initially conveyed.

This was shown by the commentary Garcia had about this upcoming fight, which arrived during his September 10 appearance on Ring Magazine's Inside the Ring show.

"My problem with Canelo is his intensity. He doesn't have the same intensity that he used to have, and I think that's gonna be the biggest issue for me," Garcia said, per an X post from DAZN Boxing.

MORE: Teddy Atlas Doubles Down On Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford Prediction

"Can he still counterpunch? Yes. Can he still be slick? Yes. But does he have the energy and the intensity that he used to have when he was younger, or even when he fought Caleb Plant, to be honest?

"For me, it's like, is he going to be able to have that second, third effort? Because that's the problem [Canelo] has," Garcia continued. "When Bivol gave him three extra movements, and three extra shots, Canelo ended up doing weird defensive moves that got him out of position."

The good news for Canelo is that he won't have to worry as much about Crawford's power as he did with Bivol, which might have contributed to the "weird defensive moves" Garcia alluded to. But it's still interesting to hear Garcia call out Canelo's lack of intensity in this way.

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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.