Trainer Abel Sanchez says the strength of Canelo Alvarez will “take its toll” on Terence Crawford by the sixth round, resulting in the Mexican superstar “cruising’ to victory on September 13th.
Sanchez believes that Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) will be slower due to the weight he’s packed on, and Canelo will take advantage of his lack of speed by pounding on him with his heavy shots.
Skipping Tune-Ups Was a Mistake
“Terence is a great talent, but we have weight divisions for a reason. If Terence had fought two or three guys at that weight to prepare for Canelo, I think that would be a better fight,” said Abel Sanchez to Secondsout, pointing out that Terence Crawford’s failure to get accustomed to the super middleweight division may cost him against Canelo Alvarez on September 13th.
Abel’s comment about Crawford making a mistake of not getting some tune-ups at 168 is what a lot of people are saying. He should have used the 13 months after his last fight to squeeze in two or three tune-ups at 168. Even if they were soft opponents, Crawford still should have fought them. It’s obvious why he didn’t. Crawford didn’t want to get exposed by being seen struggling or potentially beaten.
Canelo’s Power Will Overwhelm Crawford
“The strength and the size of Canelo will take its toll on Crawford in the middle of the fight, and I think Canelo cruises to a victory,” said Sanchez. “Terence is fighting a big truck now. It’s him [Canelo] wearing you down with his size. Once he starts hitting him [Crawford], he’ll wear him.”
It’s going to be a new experience for Crawford getting hit by Canelo, as he didn’t get hit hard in his debut at 154 against Israil Madrimov last year. Madrimov was just touching Crawford and not putting his entire power into the shots for fear of being countered. Canelo will hit Crawford as hard as he can, and it’s going to be a shock for him.
Terence’s Weight Gain Causes Problems
“If he wears him down, Terence, putting the weight on that he’s put on, may not be the fastest,” said Sanchez. “He may not be the strongest at that weight. He had difficulties with the 154-lb champion [Israil Madrimov] that he beat. I find it difficult to believe that Crawford can hurt him.”
The Nebraska native Crawford can get Canelo’s attention with his shots, but he’s not going to be able to stay in the pocket to add to that without paying a heavy price. Getting hit back by Canelo will be an unpleasant experience, especially if it’s to the body. He won’t want to allow Canelo to hit him to the liver or the solar plexus for long without getting on his bike.
Crawford’s Lack of Knockout Power
“Madrimov showed us that Crawford doesn’t have that one-punch knockout. He’s going to have to put punches together,” said Abel. “He can put punches together at 147 and 140, and they’re going to be quick punches.”
Even at 140, Crawford didn’t possess one-punch power. He had to wear down his opponents in that weight class, and the same at 147. Most of the knockouts he got were in fights where he pounded on his opponents for many rounds before he stopped them. The only early stoppages Terence got were against the faded British fighters, Amir Khan and Kell Brook.
“Against Canelo, they’re going to be a little bit slower. So, Canelo will be able to see them. He’ll be able to time them. Maybe not necessarily hit him with a shot that he hit Khan with, but he’s going to be able to touch him. Once he touches him, it’s a 12-round fight. It’s a 12-round fight where Canelo can just tee off on him at will, and not be afraid of getting hurt,” said Sanchez.
Age and Inactivity Hurting Crawford’s Speed
We’re already seeing the speed loss in Crawford with the shadow boxing and pad workouts. He’s not as fast as he was in his last fight against Madrimov in 2024, and definitely not when he was fighting at 147. Soon to be 38 on September 28th, Crawford is aging, and his inactivity over the last five years since 2020 has made it worse.
Last Updated on 08/13/2025
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