Crawford’s Postol Performance: A Look At Canelo’s Downfall?

Trainer Stephen Edwards believes Terence Crawford has enough size, strength, conditioning and technical skills to move up to 168 and defeat unified super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez.

Edwards thinks Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) couldn’t beat David Benavidez, David Morrell, Artur Beterbiev, or Dmitry Bivol. Those guys are too big and too technical for the 37-year-old Crawford. But the 34-year-old Canelo (62-2-2, 39 KOs) is starting to show signs of age, and is outmatched for Crawford.

Vulnerable Champion

Canelo will turn 35 on July 18, and has failed to knock out his last six opponents. His last knockout came three years ago against Caleb Plant on November 6, 2021.

The Mexican star has not indicated that he will fight Crawford, and will not agree to the match unless he feels he can win. His net worth is estimated at $250 million. So, whatever money Turki Alalshikh can offer Alvarez won’t tempt him to take the Crawford fight unless he wants to. He’s already got enough dough to live richly for 20 lives, and he can continue to make many millions per fight, taking easy opposition.

“Yes, I think he can go up to 168 and fight certain people. Do I think he can fight Benavidez or Morrell? No, they are too big, too skilled, and too tall. This will be a lot to overcome,” said Stephen Edwards to Fighthypehe talks about Terence Crawford being too young to fight Benavidez or Morrell at super middleweight.

“Canelo comes from the smaller weights and is the same height as Crawford. I actually think Crawford is a little taller. Crawford’s arms are much longer, and he has a much better gas tank. I never saw Crawford tired.

“Canelo let us guys off the hook nowadays when he was on his best run, he usually stops them. Now, he’s letting them off the hook because he doesn’t have that extra push in his gas tank. If Bud fought Canelo at 168, Bud would be full of calories. He would be able to eat whatever he wanted to eat at any time of the day,” Edwards said.

Crawford is getting pretty old, too, at 37, and he almost lost his debut at 154 against Israil Madrimov on August 3rd. He will not be able to win rounds against Canelo with the weak shots he was landing against Madrimov. Those punches looked weak compared to when he was fighting at 147, 140 and 135.

The judges will give Canelo the rounds against Crawford, even if he’s caught. If Canelo’s shots are much harder, he will win the rounds. Crawford doesn’t hit as hard as Jermell Charlo or Erislandy Lara, and those guys were overpowered against Canelo.

Genius At Work?

“His energy levels are off-the-hook. He probably enters the ring at 159 or 160 lbs. No need to come in at 168 just because that’s the weight limit. He needs to be fast in that fight,” Edwards said of Crawford.

“I told him (Crawford), ‘That fight they fought that night (against Viktor Postol at 140, eight years ago on July 23, 2016), that’s the fight that could 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 in combat.”

The fight against Viktor Postol was a long time ago when Crawford was 28 years old. Now 37 years old, he doesn’t look as young, fast, or as mobile as he was in the Postol fight. Crawford gets old. Therefore, comparing this version of Crawford with the one he fought Postol to use as an argument why he will beat Canelo does not make sense. That version of Crawford no longer exists.

That was another person. If he was a monstrous puncher like Artur Beterbiev, it wouldn’t be a big deal that Crawford isn’t as young as he used to be. He is not a great puncher and wins his fights on speed, reflexes and boxing skills. That won’t be enough in his current physical state 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 is a great fighter, but my eyes tell me that he is slowing down a bit. The Canelo who fought against Berlanga. Three years ago, Canelo would have eliminated Berlanga. That’s not a fight. That is a public execution.

“The fact that he let Berlanga go the distance. Let Munguia go the distance. He let Charlo go the distance. Bud’s movement, conditioning and strength. Bud is much stronger than people realize. I’m not saying he’s stronger than Canelo. It is strong enough. It’s not a weight-lifting contest,” Edwards said.