Trainer Robert Garcia says Canelo Alvarez will fight Terence Crawford in May 2025. However, he doesn't see Crawford winning because he's getting older, and Canelo is naturally stronger than him.
He also takes a good punch and has been hit harder than Crawford, who looked vulnerable in his debut at 154 against Israel Madrimov on August 3.
Crawford's age and decline
Robert says Crawford is not shying away from a fight against interim WBC 154-pound champion Virgil Ortiz Jr. He just feels the 37-year-old Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) is getting older and wants to get as much money as possible before that. He soon retires.
Garcia says Crawford could make three times more money fighting Canelo (62-2-2, 39 KO) than Virgil Jr. If Turki Al-Sheikh is willing to pay Canelo an enormous amount of money to fight the older, thinner and weaker Crawford, the fight could happen.
Since Terence will be making his debut at 168 by moving up two weight classes, it would be impossible to see a scenario where he can win. It will be a battle on a business level.
Celebrity match
When you get a top fighter like Crawford, who didn't look good in his debut at 154, moving up two more weight classes to 168, it's not a serious fight. It's a celebrity match.
To be serious, Crawford must get to 168 and prove himself against top contenders. If he can get through three or four tough fights, he could face Canelo.
Terrence's path to legitimacy
Put Crawford with these three to let him show he's worthy of fighting King Canelo:
- David Benavidez
- David Morrell
- Osley Iglesias
He's not interested in proving himself even in one fight at 168; This just shows you what he's after. It's money, not inheritance. This is a joke. This has nothing to do with Crawford's goal.
If this is the real world, Crawford will have to get up to 168 and gain the key experience to prove he's right for the job and worthy of it.
Terrence doesn't have to do that here, and the ones who lose are the fans because he'll get crushed by Canelo or make it extremely boring like Jermell Charlo did when he moved up from No. 154 in 2023 to challenge Canelo. Jermell is bigger, faster and stronger than Crawford.
He couldn't do anything with Canelo and had to run to save his hideout. The fight was unwatchable, but Charlo got his big payday, and has not been seen in the ring since. It was a money grab for him, and fans got a bad product for the money they paid to watch the fight on PPV.
Financial motives
“We're going to take the fight right away. It's not an easy fight. Crawford is a great fighter, No. 1, 2 or 3, pound for pound,” Robert Garcia said. Fighthype When asked about his interest in the fight between Virgil Ortiz Jr. and Terence Crawford.
“He's already 37 years old, and he's looking to get the biggest paycheck. “I think he's looking forward to a fight against Canelo, where he'll triple the money he can make against Virgil,” Robert said of Crawford. “So he's playing smart. I don't blame him. He is already 37 years old and looking to have the best fights available to him when it comes to finances.
“What I'm hearing is (Canelo-Crawford) could happen by May. I think Crawford is one of the best fighters out there, but he's aging. We won't know until he fights again. There's that chance,” Garcia said of fighters aging in between. Overnight, “it happens in boxing, especially when they get close to their late 30s, like Crawford.”
Terrence is getting older and is approaching 38 years old. He looked terrible in his last fight against Madrimov at 154, and will likely be destroyed in a rematch or if he faces that type of division, IBF junior middleweight champion Bakhram Muratzaliev. This guy is fighting at a higher level than Canelo now and has more power. What he does to Crawford with his left hooks won't be pretty.
“I picked Canelo. He's bigger and stronger (and smaller than Crawford). Canelo can throw a really good punch. I see Crawford putting up a good fight. Canelo is the bigger guy physically and stronger,” Garcia said.
