Promoter Eddie Hearn says he worries that Terence Crawford’s “pumped up” body, age, and inactivity could negatively affect him in his superfight against Canelo Alvarez next Saturday, September 13, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Hearn says Crawford is 37, has been fighting once a year for the last several years, and didn’t look sensational in his last fight, 13 months ago, against Israil Madrimov. He questions whether Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) can handle the power of the undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo (63-2-2, 39 KOs) because he’s moving up two weight classes to face him.
Hearn also has concerns about Canelo, specifically regarding his age and legs. He noted that Canelo’s legs showed signs of slowing down with his inability to cut off the ring against his last opponent, William Scull, on May 3, 2025.
Hearn’s Doubts on Crawford’s Body
“My worry is, I see the size of Crawford. He looks pumped up, much bigger than usual. It’s very difficult to do that to your body and go in and perform like you always perform. I don’t know if that’s going to help him or hinder him,” said promoter Eddie Hearn to The Stomping Ground about the physical transformation that Terence Crawford has undergone with the size he’s put on for the Canelo Alvarez fight.
The added weight that Crawford has put on could hinder him if he’s pushed to a fast pace by Canelo. However, it’s questionable whether the Mexican star has the cardio required for him to force Terence to fight hard enough for his weight to play a factor.
What could be the decider in this fight is the power of Canelo and his body punching. Crawford hasn’t been hit in a professional fight by a fighter with Canelo’s power. The Omaha, Nebraska native, Crawford, was hurt in his fights against Yuriorkis Gamboa in 2014 and Egidijus Kavaliauskas in 2019.
Both Fighters Show Their Age
“I worry if he’s [Canelo] the same fighter at this stage of his career. Both guys are old in terms of fighters in their prime. What is Crawford, 36, 37 [Note: Terence turns 38 on September 28]. Canelo 36 [correction: 35]. I remember watching the [William] Scull fight. I just felt that his legs were slowing down a little bit.”
Canelo has been showing signs of deterioration since his fight against Jaime Munguia on May 4, 2024. He fought well in the first three rounds against Munguia, but then appeared to tire, and did the minimum the rest of the way to earn a 12-round unanimous decision.
It was the same thing in Canelo’s last two fights against Edgar Berlanga and William Scull. He fought well early, but then only threw sporadic punches the rest of the way to win a pair of 12-round unanimous decisions.
Fighting Once a Year
“Can Crawford handle the power at 168? Let’s be honest. He didn’t look sensational against [Israil] Madrimov at 154. He’s been so inactive. He’s been fighting once a year for the last two years, three years even [correction: Crawford has fought once a year since 2021]. Right now, my head is leaning toward Crawford slightly. I want to see him next week on the scales,” said Hearn.
The Canelo-Madrimov fight was so razor-close that it could have gone Madrimov’s way, as he’d landed the harder, cleaner shots. Terence won a 12-round unanimous decision, but his age, ring rust, and lack of power affected him in this fight. It was a witches’ brew of things that were working against Crawford in that contest. The judges gave him the win, but in my opinion, Madrimov should have been the winner. Hearn feels the same way. He had Madrimov winning. It wasn’t the ideal performance by Crawford to be going into the superfight against Canelo.
“I think they are both old. It’s almost like who is getting older quicker. Canelo hasn’t stopped anyone in ages since [Caleb] Plant [on November 6, 2021],” said Hearn.
Crawford’s Eroding Reflexes
Terence looked like he’d aged overnight in his last fight against Madrimov on August 3, 2024. Crawford had been out of the ring for over a year since his victory over Errol Spence on July 29, 2023. In the 13 months out of the ring, Bud didn’t resemble the same fighter physically against Madrimov as he’d been against Spence.
Crawford was getting hit repeatedly by straight rights from Madrimov the entire 12-round fight. The reflexes for the then 36-year-old Crawford looked to have eroded in my view. Now, Crawford has been inactive for another 13 months since the Madrimov contest, and he’s nearing 38 as he heads into his superfight against Canelo.
Although Crawford has been able to fight successfully, despite coming off repeated year breaks from 2021, the opposition he’s faced hasn’t been stellar.
Crawford’s Opposition returning from 3 long one-year breaks:
- Israil Madrimov
- Errol Spence
- David Avanesyan
Last Updated on 09/06/2025
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