Boxing

Terence Crawford Admits He Can’t Compete At Canelo Alvarez's Weight In Resurfaced Clip

Terence Crawford once admitted that he can't fight at Canelo's weight class.
Apratim Banerjee|
IMAGO / Torsten Helmke

September 13 will be the biggest night of Terence Crawford's professional boxing career as he fights Canelo Alvarez for the undisputed super middleweight title. 'Bud' Crawford is looking to make history as he aims to become a three-division undisputed champion. Crawford has previously held the undisputed title at junior welterweight and welterweight.

Canelo, right now, is the biggest name in boxing and Crawford's most high-profile opponent. 'Bud' is moving up two weight divisions to fight Canelo, which is a major narrative of the fight, with fans and experts doubting Crawford can handle Canelo's power at 168 lbs.

The Nebraska native looks confidence in his ability and is looking to shock the Mexican with a signature performance. Crawford is yet to be bettered inside the ring and boasts a perfect 41-0-0 record with 31 knockouts.

While there's no denying Crawford's brilliance, a resurfaced clip from 2023 shows 'Bud' himself doubted his chances against someone like Canelo at super middleweight. He echoed the sentiment that boxing has weight classes for a reason, proving that his doubters are not completely wrong in their stance.

Back in 2023, speaking to the EBRO in the Morning podcast, he said:

Canelo fights at 168 lbs+. I don’t see us fighting. 154 lbs realistically (is the highest I can fight at). Those boys get big up there. I’m not a person to toot my own horn too loud to be able to say I can beat the world. I understand there’s weight classes for a reason, and I respect the weight classes. I think 154 lbs is my max.
Terence Crawford

The comments came shortly after Terence Crawford's sensational win against Errol Spence Jr. However, 'Bud' has clearly changed his mind. He is taking a risk to further solidify his greatness and by beating Canelo Alvarez, he can become of the best to ever lace up a pair of gloves.

It's a high risk, high reward game for Crawford. Crawford himself stated that he'll only make $10 million from the fight in an appearance on Ring Champs with Ak & Barak, but there's no official purse released. All in all, it looks like a calculated career decision from 'Bud' to cement his legacy rather than earn a payday.

Crawford said as much when explaining his decision to Ak & Barak, saying "I'm doing it for the opportunity, baby, the legacy. The legacy outweighs the money."

Canelo and Crawford have already done two press conferences, in Riyadh and New York. Their third presser is set for June 27 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.