Crawford's Postol performance: A glimpse of Canelo's downfall?

Trainer Stephen Edwards believes Terrence Crawford has the size, strength, conditioning and technical ability to move up to 168 pounds and defeat unified super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez.

Edwards doesn’t think Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) can beat David Benavidez, David Morel, Artur Beterbiev or Dmitry Bivol. These guys are too big and too skilled for the 37-year-old Crawford. But the 34-year-old Canelo (62 wins, 2 draws, 2 losses, 39 KOs) is beginning to show signs of aging, and he can be defeated by Crawford.

fragile champion

Canelo will turn 35 on July 18, but he has failed to defeat his past six opponents. His last knockout was three years ago on November 6, 2021, against Caleb Plant.

The Mexican star has not said he would fight Crawford and would not agree to the fight unless he felt he could win. His net worth is estimated at $250 million. So no matter how much money Turki Alashh can offer Alvarez, it won't tempt him into a Crawford fight unless he wants to. He already has enough money to live a prosperous life for 20 lifetimes, and he can continue to make millions of dollars per game, beating his opponents with ease.

“Yeah, I think he can get to 168 and fight some guys. Do I think he can fight Benavidez or Morel? No, they're too big, too skilled, and too tall. That's There’s a lot to overcome,” Stephen Edwards said in an interview with Fighthype, talking about Terrence Crawford being too small to fight Benavidez or Morel at super middleweight.

“Canelo weighs less and is the same height as Crawford. I actually think Crawford is a little taller. Crawford has longer arms and he has a better tank. I've never seen that Crawford was tired.

“Canelo is letting our guys out of trouble now and when he's at his best he usually stops them. Now he's letting them out of trouble because he doesn't have that extra push in the tank. If Bader is in Fighting Canelo at 168, Bader will be full of calories and he can eat whatever he wants at any time of the day,” Edwards said.

Crawford, who is also very old at 37, nearly lost his debut at 154 against Israel Madrimov on August 3. He will not be able to win against Canelo due to his weak shot against Madrimov. Those punches look weak compared to when he hit 147, 140 and 135.

The judges will let Canelo fight Crawford even though he is overworked. If Canelo had hit harder, he would have won the fight. Crawford doesn't hit as hard as Jermall Charlo or Erislandy Lara, and those guys were outgunned in terms of power against Canelo.

Genius at work?

“His energy level is going to be off the hook. He'll probably come into the ring at 159 or 160 pounds. There's no need to come in just because 168 is the weight limit. He needs to keep his speed in this fight,” Edwards said of K. Lawford said.

“I told him [Crawford]”The battle you fought that night [against Viktor Postol at 140, eight years ago on July 23, 2016]this is the fight that can beat Canelo. He kind of smiled. I think Bud is a genius, and sometimes, when you're a genius, you don't know you're a genius. He has the ability to make adjustments mid-fight.

The fight with Victor Postol was a long time ago, and Crawford was just 28 years old at the time. He is now 37 years old, but he does not look as young, fast and mobile as he did at the Battle of Postol. Crawford is old. So it makes no sense to compare this version of Crawford to the one fighting Postol and use that as an argument for why he beat Canelo. That version of Crawford no longer exists.

That's another person. If he's a monster boxer like Artur Beterbiev, it wouldn't be a big deal that Crawford isn't as young as he once was. He wasn't a big boxer and relied on speed, reflexes and boxing skills to win his fights. With his current physical condition, it won't be enough to beat Canelo, and the judges won't do him any favors.

“I don't think he can beat guys like Bivol and Beterbiev. I think it's too much, but Canelo,” Edwards said. “He's a great fighter, but my eyes tell me he's a little slow. Canelo fighting Berlanga. Three years ago, Canelo knocked out Berlanga. That was not a fight .This is a public execution.

“The reality is, he's got Berlanga far. He's got Munguia far. He's got Charlo far. The movement, the physicality, the strength of Bader. Bader is a lot tougher than people think. I'm not saying he's stronger than Canelo. This is not a weightlifting competition,” Edwards said.