Teofimo Lopez Sr. on Crawford vs. Canelo: “He’s too old”

Trainer Teofimo Lopez Sr. says Terence Crawford is “too old” to defeat Canelo Alvarez tonight. He saw the soon-to-be 38-year-old Crawford’s last fight against Ismail Madrimov 13 months ago, and he felt that he’d already shown age back then.

Lopez Sr. noted that Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) struggled with the feints that Madrimov used in the fight, and never adjusted.

Crawford’s Age in Question

“Canelo all the way in the later rounds. I think Crawford is too old. He’s 37 [turns 38 on September 28], and I saw weakness in his legs in his last fight,” said Teofimo Lopez Sr. to Pro Boxing Fans. “He couldn’t get his punches off. The way you beat Crawford is by feinting a lot. He’s got all that program in his head [throwing] combinations when you come in.”

A Bobble Doll Effect

Teofimo Sr. saw the same thing that many boxing fans did with Crawford. He couldn’t deal with the feints from Madrimov, and resembled a bobble doll with how his head was being snapped back again and again. Age was also there. He looked 40.

“I saw that fight [Israil Madrimov] last time, and that was ticking him off. The feinting was ticking him off,” said Teofimo Sr. “You can’t hurt Canelo. It’s going to be like the [Jermell] Charlo fight, but I think it’s going to be worse, though. Hell no,” said Lopez Sr. when asked if he thinks Crawford won’t engage. He’s going to be hitting a brick.”

Lopez Sr. raises a good point about the feints throwing Crawford off. He never seemed to know when Madrimov would throw because he was using so many feints. When he did throw, he was hitting Crawford frequently with right hands.

The Fading Fighter

With Crawford being a counter-puncher, he was waiting and waiting for Madrimov to throw. He didn’t initiate his own offense and was getting nailed at will throughout the fight. If Crawford wasn’t the A-side in the fight, there’s a good chance he would have lost because Madrimov landed the cleaner, harder punches in all 12 rounds.

Usually, when a fighter does this, they’re given the victories. That didn’t happen here. Crawford got the 12-round decision, and he didn’t look like the winner. He looked like he’d been given a gift. That’s my view of the fight.

A Vulnerable Crawford

Also, Terence looked old and not the fighter he’d been in the past. Although only one year had passed since his win over Errol Spence on July 29, 2023, Crawford appeared to have aged five years.