Bulking Up for a Beatdown: Why Crawford’s Size Won’t Save Him from Canelo

Terence Crawford looks unrecognizable from his former self with the weight he’s put on while bulking up for his title shot against undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez on September 13th at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

Canelo Exposes a False 168

Crawford’s fans believe that the size he’s put in will be a game-changer, leading him to dominate Canelo just as he’d done while campaigning at 147. Canelo’s fans know better. They saw  Alvarez defeat a rehydrated 193-lb Edgar Berlanga last year.

Crawford is believed to have put on between 14 and 20 pounds of muscle in the year that he’s been out of the ring since his last fight on August 3, 2024. He’s banking on the weight to guide him to victory over Canelo. The photos of Terence on social media show a fighter who looks around 185 lbs.

Fans are naturally skeptical about Crawford’s chances of winning the fight with his added size. They argue that putting on weight to turn himself into a super middleweight artificially still doesn’t make Bud a true 168-lb fighter capable of going to war with a fighter like Canelo or even some of the contenders in the division.

Crawford’s Unsafe Shortcuts for a Hefty Payday

With 39 days to go, Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) looks stocky and bulky with the size he’s put on for the fight against Alvarez (63-2-2, 39 KOs). The problem is that Terence is cutting corners, choosing to go straight to the top without aclimitizing himself to the super middleweight division first.

Even the size he puts on is not going to help him take headshots from a fighter like Canelo. It seems like a misguided approach by Crawford, with him speedily adding mass to his frame, taking no tune-ups, and jumping straight into a fight against Canelo. He says he’s chasing legacy. Fans view him as being driven by pure greed and the desire to make money without working for it.