David Benavidez believes that Terence Crawford has a 70% chance of defeating Canelo Alvarez in September when they meet at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Benavidez says that Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) has known that he was going to fight Canelo (62-2-2, 39 KOs) for a “long time” and hit the weights to put on size.
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He feels that with Crawford’s IQ and the size that he puts on, he can hurt Canelo a couple of times to get the win. The weight Crawford is putting on might be one reason he’s chosen not to take a tuneup before September.
If he fought, he would have to fight 160 and 168. It would be risky for Crawford to be expected to face a solid opponent, and any decent contender would be a threat to him at his age and fighting guys with power he’s never experienced. So, he’ll play it safe by waiting until September before fighting.
A 70% Chance?
“I don’t want to seem like a hater. I’m blessed and I have my position here. So, I’m in a big position as well. I’m happy for Crawford that he can get a big fight like that, too,” said David Benavidez to Ariel Helwani’s channel, talking about Terence Crawford getting picked out to fight Canelo Alvarez on September 13th in Las Vegas.
“I give him a 7 out of 10,” said Benavidez when asked how much of a chance he’s giving Crawford to defeat Canelo. “Crawford is good, and he’s been knowing that he’s fighting Canelo for a long time. Crawford likes to pick up the weight. I’m sure he’s been working on the weight for a long time.
“So with Crawford when a person has a big IQ like that, if you do enough weights and you stay working for a long time, and you have a puncher’s chance. You can definitely make the other guy uncomfortable and hurt him a couple of times. Crawford is a really good fighter. I wouldn’t be surprised if he wins,” said Benavidez.
Is Benavidez Hating on Canelo?
It’s unknown if Benavidez has an axe to grind against Canelo, and that’s why he’s giving Crawford a good chance to beat him.
It wouldn’t be surprising to learn that Benavidez doesn’t think Crawford can win but is saying he can out of dislike for Canelo for never giving him the chance to fight him all the years. It’s got to burn him up seeing Crawford be given an opportunity to fight Canelo, even though he fights two divisions below him at 154.
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