George Groves: “Tall Order” for Terence Crawford to Defeat Canelo Alvarez at Super Middleweight Due to Size Disadvantage

George Groves believes it will be a “tall order” for the smaller fighter, Terence Crawford, to defeat Canelo Alvarez at super middleweight on September 13th, given Canelo’s natural size advantage.

Crawford’s 168-lb Jump

The former WBA 168-lb champion Groves likes Crawford’s skills, but he thinks that it’s a lot for him to overcome jumping up 14 pounds from 154 to challenge Canelo (63-2-2, 39 KOs) for his undisputed championship on Netflix at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

Crawford believes he can overcome Canelo’s size, but it’s going to be difficult to do.

There are age concerns as well. Crawford is 37 and not in his prime years, and his movement has slowed. He’s now forced to slug with his opponents more than he ever did from 2008 to 2013.

Madrimov Fight Showed Crawford’s Limitations 

We witnessed the extent of the punishment Bud was forced to endure in his last fight, moving up to 154 against ‘Little GGG’ Israil Madrimov. Crawford got hit more in that fight than he ever had in his career, and looked like the loser afterward. Interestingly, Terence still refuses to admit that he met his match in that fight. He doesn’t want to confront the truth.

Going from that fight up to two divisions to fight Canelo is a near-impossible task for Crawford. If he seriously wants to win, he’s put himself behind the eight ball by skipping 160, not taking a tune-up at 168, and sitting out of the ring for a year of waste.

Finances Drive Crawford to Canelo

Many wise fans believe that Crawford’s pursuit of the Canelo fight is solely for financial reasons, aiming to secure a massive $50 million payday that will enable him to live a life of luxury upon retiring to his sprawling palatial estate in Omaha, Nebraska.

Crawford’s Tall Order vs. Canelo

“It’s going to be a tough one for the smaller man [Crawford]. I think the size is definitely a big part to play in this. Things can happen, but it’s a tall order for Crawford to beat Canelo at super middleweight,” said George Groves to the Ring Magazine YouTube channel, giving his brief thoughts on the Canelo vs. Crawford matchup on September 13th.

Turki Alalshikh’s insistence on wanting fighters to brawl more in his fights puts Crawford in a position where he’s going to need to beat Canelo at his own game by slugging with him. That’s going to be hard to do when Crawford showed no power in moving up to 154, and he’s been sitting inactive for a year, losing muscle and waiting on that payday against Canelo.