Does a Canelo-Crawford Rematch Benefit Anyone Besides Their Bank Accounts?

Chris Mannix believes that a Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford 2 rematch is the best option for both fighters at this point. The DAZN commentator/webhost argues that Crawford and Alvarez don’t have better options available than running it back for a second fight.

Crawford’s mention of wanting to move down to 160 for fights won’t work, according to Mannix. He asks who is going to pay “real money” for Crawford to fight the fighters in the middleweight division.

If Bud doesn’t care about taking a massive drop off in earnings to challenge one of the 160-lb champions, like Carlos Adames or Erislandy Lara, it would work. But what does that say about Crawford’s ambition and bravery for him to take less challenging fights that involve tremendous pay cuts?

The Letdown of the First Encounter

I’m not on board with Mannix’s vision of a Canelo-Crawford rematch. I don’t see that as a smart move for Turki Alalshikh to finance another albatross-type fight and bore the fans a second time. There are no words to describe how dull their fight was last Saturday. I don’t ever want to see Canelo and Crawford rematch.

“Crawford could conquer 160, but who is putting up real money for that? Canelo has already cleaned out the 168-lb division. Where else is he going to go?” said commentator Chris Mannix to DAZN Boxing about a rematch between Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford needing to happen.

“People are going to realize that doing it one more time is in the best interest of both of these guys and for boxing, by the way. That’s another big event you can put on the calendar,” said Mannix.

The Financial Problems with a Sequel

1. Turki Alalshikh: He may not want to invest money in a second fight if it requires an increase in purses for Crawford and Canelo from what they made in their first fight. You have to believe that Bud would want upwards of $75 million for his purse for a second fight. He made $50 million last Saturday, and he turned in the type of dull performance that deserved minimal pay. Canelo made $150 million. He would likely want a similar amount for a second fight, despite his lackluster showing.
2. Fans not interested: The Canelo-Crawford fight wasn’t remotely entertaining, looking like a classic definition of a Tom and Jerry-style contest that was one of the least interesting matches on the entire card last Saturday. In terms of a letdown, the fight was on the level of the Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao superfight of 2015. Fans were led to believe that Canelo-Crawford would be the “Fight of the Century,” but instead, it was two aging fighters, showcasing what was left of their deteriorated skills.

If Canelo is going to fight on, it would be more interesting for fans to see him face David Benavidez if Crawford isn’t willing to man up and take on ‘The Mexican Monster.’ Other than that, a rematch for Canelo against Dmitry Bivol would be mildly fun to watch. He can then retire if he loses.

Time for Crawford to Take Risks

As far as Crawford goes, he needs to fight one of these talents to show what he can do against prime fighters:

1. David Benavidez
2. Osleys Iglesias
3. Dmitry Bivol
4. Jaron Ennis

If Crawford refuses to fight one of them, Turki should wash his hands of him and focus his time on the go-getters who are willing to take risks. Crawford’s refusal to fight ‘The Big Four’ above would give an accurate glimpse of his courage level and cement the view that exists that he only takes fights that he knows he’s going to win.