Trainer Jose Benavidez Sr. says undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez could beat Terence Crawford even if he hadn’t brought Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis into camp to mimic his fighting style to use for sparring in their headliner on September 13th in Las Vegas.
Is Ennis’s Sparring a Distraction?
“It’s funny that he brought Ennis to his camp. They know what they’re doing. Even if he hadn’t brought him, I think it would be the same thing,” said Jose Benavidez Sr. to MillCity Boxing, reacting to Canelo Alvarez bringing Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis into camp to help train for his fight against Terence Crawford on September 13th.
Canelo has the size, power, and division familiarity advantage over Crawford for this fight. Crawford is moving up two divisions at 37 after a long layoff. Those are areas that could factor into the results. Crawford has the ring IQ and the mobility that can help him avoid Canelo’s shots.
“I respect the fact that he got the best possible sparring he could find for Crawford to win this fight,” said trainer Stephen Edwards to YSM Sports Media, talking about Canelo using Ennis as his sparring partner late in camp.
Canelo needed a smaller fighter to help prepare him for Crawford’s style, and Ennis is a welterweight. That works well for Alvarez.
“If Crawford doesn’t move and stands in front of him, Canelo can really hurt him. Crawford has never been hit by a big guy like that,” said Benavidez Sr. “Canelo has been hit by a lot of guys that hit harder than Crawford, I believe. I don’t think Crawford has the power to stop Canelo, but you never know.”
The Blueprint for Victory
Crawford’s trainer, Brian ‘BoMac’ McIntyre, said early in the camp that they would be following the Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Dmitry Bivol blueprint on how they fought Canelo. Those two fighters used a lot of in-and-out movement to avoid getting hit by the hard shots from Alvarez.
“People aren’t giving Crawford a chance because of the weight and how big Canelo is. Sometimes, we see big upsets. I just think Crawford is super small. But if he’s able to drop Canelo, that would be a super surprise,” said Jose Sr.
Many fans and media members are giving Crawford a great chance of defeating Canelo. Although Canelo is the betting favorite, a lot of people believe Terence will win. They point out that his last fight against Israil Madrimov on August 3, 2024, was the ideal preparation for Alvarez.
— Boots (@JaronEnnis) August 23, 2025
Crawford’s Weight and Stamina
“He can win the fight like that, but he has to be in really good condition,” said Benavidez Sr. when asked if Crawford can beat Canelo without getting hit by boxing. “I don’t know if those extra pounds are going to help him to have the same stamina to have the same footwork. If he can do that, we’re going to see somebody beating Canelo.”
The weight that Crawford has put on during training camp is what causes doubts with some boxing experts about his ability to move around the ring without tiring.
“If he’s carrying that much, he’s going to lose his speed, and that’s his biggest weapon,” said former four-division world champion Mikey Garcia about Crawford’s weight gain.
Last Updated on 08/25/2025
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