Promoter Eddie Hearn says Canelo Alvarez doesn’t seem to have the desire anymore at 35, and he feels he may retire if Terence Crawford beats him on September 13th. He’s picking Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) to beat Alvarez (63-2-2, 39 KOs), because he views him as the “fresher, and more physically preserved fighter of the two.
Crawford has fought only two good opponents, Errol Spence and Israil Madrimov, during his long 17-year career, whereas Canelo has fought over 20. There’s a big difference in the level of opposition the Mexican star has fought compared to Terence. That’s why he’s the bigger star. He’s taken the risks that Crawford hasn’t. That year off sitting inactive shows Crawford’s lack of risk-taking. The Nebraska native doesn’t have the same ambition that Canelo has demonstrated.
He’s a good talker, but he hasn’t shown a willingness to test himself by moving up in weight earlier in his career. When Crawford finally took a risk, going up to 154, he gave after his questionable decision over Madrimov and began pushing for the cash-out against Canelo. Terence’s lack of willingness to take chances in his career makes him unworthy of being one of the all-time greats.
Canelo’s Physical Decline
“It wasn’t just the fact that he couldn’t cut the ring off [against William Scull]. I just feel the timing now and the age,” said Eddie Hearn to Fight Hub TV about what made him pick Terence Crawford over Canelo Alvarez for their fight on September 13th. “Canelo is amazing. Not just because of his ability and what he’s accomplished, but the fact that he still has the desire for those training camps and those fights.”
The way that the Cuban Scull was moving in the fight against Canelo on May 3rd, very few fighters could have gotten to him, either without getting caught by his quick counters. He not only moved well, but his hand speed, power, and counter-punching were top-notch. Alvarez stopped taking chances after getting caught with some of Scull’s counters early on, and it made him realize he was too powerful to take any chances against.
“I just feel that desire is fading a little bit, not because of his love for [boxing], but just because of his age and life,” said Hearn. “The Crawford fight will definitely get him up for it. I don’t think he’d want to lose to Crawford, a much smaller guy, because he’s at the end of the road. The fight is so big and the money is so big that he has to take it. I bet he retires after that fight.”
It seemed obvious that Canelo’s motivation wasn’t there for his last three fights against Scull, Edgar Berlanga, and Jaime Munguia. He was seen as the favorite going into those fights, and few fans gave those fighters any shot at beating Canelo. The fights that Alvarez has performed well in the past are the ones where he’s been seen as having a tough time.
Motivation Questions
“Why would you carry on? You fight Crawford. Who else is there for Canelo to fight? Do you think Benavide is going to come back to 168?” said Hearn. “Again, I don’t think Canelo would want to lose to [David] Benavidez because he’s not the fighter that he was. There’s a lot of pride for those guys.”
There are a lot of other fighters for Canelo to fight after Crawford. He’s nothing compared to the fighters fans want to see Canelo fight. The Mexican star is fighting Crawford only because Turki Alalshikh wanted to see it. If we’re talking about fights that the boxing public wants to see in the U.S and elsewhere, these are the fighters that interest them a lot more than a novelty fight against Crawford:
– David Benavidez
– Jaron Ennis
– Dmitry Bivol
– Artur Beterbiev
– Jai Opetaia
– Chris Eubank Jr.
– Conor Benn
– David Morrell
– Edgar Berlanga: *Rematch
– Hamzah Sheeraz
Alvarez’s Vast Fortune
“He’s made a huge amount of money. Maybe it was just fighting in Saudi Arabia, against a negative kind of opponent [William Scull], and all this kind of stuff,” said Hearn about Canelo. “I was sitting next to Bud the whole fight, and I was thinking, ‘I think he’ll [Crawford] probably beat him.’”
Canelo’s fortune is reportedly $275 million, and it’s likely to double if he finishes the remaining three fights on his contract with Turki Alalshikh and continues to fight a little longer. Canelo will probably retire with a fortune close to $600 million.
“Don’t get me wrong. It’s a very tough fight for both guys. A great fight. The movement of Terence Crawford and the ring IQ, and he looks like a younger, fresher fighter, even though they’re 36 [Canelo] and 38 [Crawford]. It’s amazing,” said Hearn.
Crawford has aged better and looks 10 years younger than Canelo. That’s a combination of genetics and Terence having fought much weaker opposition. If he had taken the tough fights that Canelo has had, he wouldn’t be the fighter he is today.
Canelo’s toughest Opponents
– Dmitry Bivol
– Edgar Berlanga
– Gennadiy Golovkin x 3
– Miguel Cotto
– Callum Smith
– Jaime Munguia
– Caleb Plant
– Billy Joe Saunders
– Austin Trout
– Floyd Mayweather Jr.
– Sergey Kovalev
– Liam Smith
– Jose Miguel Cotto
“We had the fight [Canelo-Scull] very close. Don’t get me wrong. Canelo won. After eight rounds, they put Chris Mannix’s score up on the screen, and it was eight-nil Canelo. He [Crawford] was like, ‘I’ve got Scull winning the fight at this stage.’ In the end, he didn’t do anything more, and Canelo did a bit more, and he won the back end of the fight, but it was very close,” said Hearn.
Canelo definitely won the rounds in the last half of the fight when Scull essentially gave up trying to win, and was playing it safe. However, Alvarez still looked poor, throwing few punches, and just shuffling forward like a person much older than his chronological age of 34. Physically, Canelo resembled a fighter in his mid-40s. His last fight against Edgar Berlanga took something out of him, eating the big shots from the much younger and bigger 193-lb Brooklyn, New York native. Getting hit by a young cruiserweight-sized fighter isn’t good for a person in their mid-30s like Canelo.
Crawford’s Ring IQ
“115-113, 116-112, I think that’s right, but Bud is watching that fight and going, ‘Oh.’ His ring IQ is incredible, and he’s watching that fight, going, ‘I know exactly how to beat him.’ Now, doing it is different, and the weight disparity, of course, is going to be a problem. But I think he’s actually turned into the favorite.”
Crawford knows how to beat Canelo, but he won’t do it unless he can get in the trenches and slug with him. If he thinks he will get a cheap win over Canelo, it’s not happening. He’s got to go to war, and takes some heavy shots that are harder than the ones ‘Little GGG’ Israil Madrimov was repeatedly hitting him with last August in Los Angeles.
“I think he [Crawford] can win. It’s just that everything is about momentum. Canelo is fighting Scull. He probably wasn’t overly motivated. So, he’s a great competitor. I don’t think he’s ever wanted the Crawford fight, not because he’s afraid of Crawford. Just because he thought, ‘Why would I fight a guy two or three divisions lower than me? If I beat him, no one is going to give me any credit, and I hate movers.’ He hates fighting movers,” said Hearn.
You can’t blame Canelo’s performance against Scull on a lack of motivation, because he looked almost as bad in his two previous fights against Edgar Berlanga and Jaime Munguia.. That’s age and poor cardio. He’s not the fighter he was in 2016 through 2021. He’s lost a lot from taking punishment in fights, training camp, and natural aging.
Fighters in their mid-30s, like Canelo, are generally over the hill and leave the sport. Only a rare few keep fighting on and off with success. Canelo has extended his time at the top with selective match-making.
Last Updated on 05/18/2025
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