Terence Crawford’s Weight Gain and Layoff Could Spell Trouble Against Canelo Alvarez

Sportscaster Jim Gray says Canelo Alvarez’s size and activity could be an advantage for him against the smaller, inactive Terence Crawford on September 13th at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. he points out that Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) is moving up in weight two divisions to face a big puncher in undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo (63-2-2, 39 KOs).

It’s a big step up in weight for Terence, and he’s doing it coming off a 13-month layoff at 38-ish. Moving up without getting his feet wet first at super middleweight sounds like trouble for Crawford.

“It’s so hard to tell, but the bigger man. I don’t want to get hit by Canelo ever. And when you’ve weighed so much less,” said sportscaster Jim Gray to Sean Zittel when asked about a prediction for Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford. “Canelo is getting a little bit older. But he weighs a lot more, and Canelo fights more often.”

Terence Crawford Inactivity Concerns

Canelo has been fighting more often than Crawford since 2020. The Nebraska native has been fighting once a year since 2020, and taking it easy after his fights against these fighters:

– Israil Madrimov: 2024
– Errol Spence: 2023
– David Avanesyan: 2022
– Shawn Porter: 2021
– Kell Brook: 2020

Crawford could have fought 10 to 15 times in the last five years instead of just five times. He’d have made a lot more money, and his popularity would be higher than it is now.

“Again, I don’t know what [weight] Terence is coming into the ring, but he’s coming up in weight significantly,” said Gray. “And that seems to me that it would favor Canelo. By the other token, Terence Crawford has been amazing with everything that he’s done. I can’t pick a winner.”

Crawford was always huge for a welterweight. So, it won’t be surprising if he comes into the fight with Canelo in the low 180s, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to possess the power of a light heavyweight or super middleweight. His power will still be at the level of a 147-pounder. Terence will lose speed, which will prevent him from taking advantage of his increased weight to generate more power.

That’s the problem fighters have when they move up in weight. They lose speed and explosiveness. The only benefit of gaining weight is that it helps a fighter absorb punches better. However, when they’re getting hit to the head, it doesn’t improve them. They’re still vulnerable to getting hurt, and even more so because they’re fighting against a bigger opposition.

“It’s an intriguing matchup with Terence Crawford moving up in weight. That young man has been a monster going up against the great Canelo. It’s going to be fun at Allegiant Stadium. It’s an opportunity for 55,000-60,000 fans to come in. It’s great for boxing. It’s what everybody wants to see, and now we can’t wait for September 13th,” said Gray.

Undercard Necessity for Sales

We’ll see if the Allegiant Stadium will sell out in this fight, because it’s not one that people have been asking for. It wouldn’t be a shock if the stadium is only half filled on September 13th for the Canelo-Crawford event.

It would send a message that you can’t force-feed fights that fans aren’t asking for to the public and expect them to want to watch it in large numbers. That’s why a stacked undercard would have helped.

Crawford’s Popularity Struggle

Crawford was never all that popular during his career due to his fighting style, lack of big-name competition, and his personality. The fight that fans wanted to see is Canelo vs. David Benavidez.

Fans would never have picked Crawford as an option for Canelo. He would be way down on the list in the bottom 50. Even Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis would attract more interest as an opponent for Canelo than Crawford. He’s more active and has an exciting style.