Terence Crawford’s Newfound Power And Its Impact On His Challenge Against Canelo Alvarez

Terence Crawford’s sparring partner, Steven Nelson, says his power has increased with the size that he’s packed on for his fight against Canelo Alvarez on September 13th. He states that Crawford’s ability, hand speed, and movement are just as good as before he bulked up. The only thing that’s changed is his power.

Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) will challenge Canelo (63-2-2, 39 KOs) for his undisputed super middleweight championship on September 13 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. It’s a big two-weight jump for Crawford, going up from 154 to 168 to try to dethrone Alvarez.

Crawford’s Newfound Power

“Bud is going to do something that nobody ever expected. A lot of the doubters are going to be like, ‘damn,’ but they’ll come up with excuses like always,” said Steven Nelson to Fight hype about his prediction for Terence Crawford defeating Canelo Alvarez.

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There are many fans who are picking Crawford to win. So, it won’t be unexpected if he defeats Canelo on September 13th. It’s still a tall order. Canelo can be outworked, but due to his power, he still wins rounds because his shots are harder. T

hat’s the problem Crawford has. I don’t believe his power is on the level of Canelo’s last opponent, William Scull, nor his hand speed or combination punching ability. Alvarez still beat him by a 12-round unanimous decision despite throwing only 152 punches in the entire fight. “Now, I feel it’s different,” said Nelson when asked if Crawford’s power has increased with the muscle he’s put on. “Now, he has the power. He’s always had power, but now, it’s a different power,” said Nelson. “He still has the speed, movement, and ability. It’s crazy. Ain’t nothing changed, man. They’re going to see. I wish it were September [13] tomorrow.”

Power On The Lower End

Crawford had power at 135, 140, and 147. He was more of a combination puncher in those weight classes. That’s how he got his knockouts. At 154, Crawford’s shots weren’t on the level of the more powerful fighters in the division. In my opinion, his power was on the lower end of the spectrum, similar to that of Xander Zayas and Josh Kelly.

“Everybody is going to see. It’s going to be groundbreaking. It’s going to be something like a spaceship landing on Earth. People don’t know until they get in the ring. Like Errol said, ‘Bud’s power is real.’ That’s what makes people great. They always do something that people don’t expect,” said Nelson. Crawford’s power wasn’t “groundbreaking” in his last fight, moving up from 147 to 154 to battle WBA junior middleweight champion Israil Madrimov on August 3, 2024.

The fight showed that Terence’s strength hadn’t increased. He’d moved up, but his power appeared to be on the level of a welterweight. Now, Nelson is saying that Crawford’s power is “different.” What are we to believe? Former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson didn’t see anything impressive in Crawford’s performance against Madrimov. “You gotta look good in order to not mess up your next fight. You fight this guy and you get your ass beat up,” said Tyson to Sports Illustrated.”

Fans would jump on board the Crawford bandwagon if he’d moved up to super middleweight in the last 13 months and beaten a couple of the top contenders. With Crawford choosing just to sit for an entire year, what does he expect people to think? He’s chosen not to take any risks and just wait for his super-fight against Canelo.

Red Flag Against Canelo vs. Crawford Judge Sparks National Boxing Commission Demand

The highly anticipated showdown between Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford is now just ten days away, set to take place at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas and streamed live on Netflix. Ahead of the historic clash, the Nevada State Athletic Commission has finalized the officials for the night. Judges Tim Cheatham, Max DeLuca, and Steve Weisfeld will be ringside, while veteran referee Tom Taylor has been assigned as the third man in the ring.

On a recent episode of his ‘THE FIGHT with Teddy Atlas’ podcast, the 69-year-old renowned trainer raised serious concerns, particularly about Tim Cheatham’s record as a judge. Notably, Cheatham has scored three of Canelo’s past fights, including bouts against Billy Joe Saunders, Dmitry Bivol, and Jaime Munguia. Atlas went on to scrutinize Cheatham’s track record and shed light on what he described as the darker side of boxing politics.

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Canelo Alvarez Will Be Happy With Cheatham, Says Teddy Atlas

Atlas claimed that if there were two judges he would want thoroughly investigated, “I would say… it might be a good place to start with… [David] Sutherland and… Cheatham.” Cheatham recently came under scrutiny for his scoring in the Tim Tszyu vs. Sebastian Fundora fight. He scored it 116-112 for Tszyu, even though Fundora appeared to dominate the bout. The other two judges scored it 115-113 and 116-113 in Fundora’s favor. Highlighting this, Atlas’ co-host pressed him on whether such officials should even be allowed to participate in high-profile fights.

Atlas explained that as the manager or promoter of a fighter, “you can’t say who you want, but you can say who you don’t want.” He noted that commissions ultimately decide which judges are assigned, depending on whether it’s a title or non-title fight. He criticized them for not having “a rotating system enough. It’s always the same guys… in the same locales.” According to Atlas, this breeds unhealthy familiarity between judges and promoters.

“[Promoters] wind up having a familiarity and relationship with the judges,” Atlas claimed. He advised commissions, “I think that you can help a lot by rotating and getting new blood in there,” to prevent close ties from forming. Atlas even alleged that promoters and judges “go out to dinner” together. Since promoters are the ones paying judges, he warned, “If those [judges] aren’t getting the decisions that [the promoters] want… you’ll be one of the [judges] that ain’t working. So we need a National Commission.”

Looking ahead to the upcoming fight, Atlas stated, “If I’m with Canelo, I think I’m happy with Cheatham. But if I’m with Crawford… I’m saying, ‘Wait a minute, hold on.’” Cheatham had Canelo Alvarez winning five rounds in a fight many observers believed Bivol controlled, losing no more than four rounds at best. Another judge that night, Steve Weisfeld, who will also be officiating the Canelo-Crawford bout, scored the fight identically.

“I’ve more singled out Tim Cheatham because of his inconsistencies.” Atlas’ co-host said during the podcast. But the lingering question remains: what recourse does Crawford’s team really have if they want the judging panel changed to ensure fairness?

Could Terence Crawford Do This in Response?

The co-host of the show pressed Atlas about the options Crawford has if he wants to make a change. “You’re telling the manager, really, for the most part,” Atlas explained. “You can put in for rejecting somebody and hope that you get your way.” The veteran trainer shared that he has no idea what Crawford’s team is doing since the officials were announced.

Still, he claimed that if he were in Terence Crawford’s team, the judges’ panel for the fight would worry him. “If I’m with Crawford, I’m thinking Jesus. This is a guy who had it real close with Canelo-Bivol,” he said. As for how Atlas saw the Canelo-Bivol fight, “I had Bivol winning 11 rounds… even if you said 10, you’d be kind of generous.”

Teddy Atlas has sounded alarm bells after the officials for the Canelo Alvarez-Terence Crawford fight on Netflix were revealed. However, whether Crawford decides to get the panel changed is yet to be seen.

Canelo Alvarez sends message to Terence Crawford: “It takes two for a good fight”

In the run-up to the showdown between Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Terence Crawford, the Mexican boxer spoke to a national sports media outlet, praising the fight that will take place on September 13. Both fighters will face each other for the unified super middleweight title, at 168 pounds (76.2 kilograms).

The fight will take place at the Raiders’ home in Las Vegas and will be broadcast by Netflix streaming service for the United States. Canelo holds the World Boxing Council (WBC), World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Organization (WBO) and International Boxing Federation (IBF) world titles.

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“I feel like I’m the best” – Canelo Alvarez ahead of fight with Terence Crawford

During the interview with Central Fox, the Guadalajara fighter said that, for him, the fight against Terence Crawford will be the biggest in the history of boxing because “everyone is going to watch it”. Canelo will fight the American on the eve of Mexico’s Independence Day, so the crowd will be on his side.

However, not all boxing analysts are on Alvarez’s side, as some claim that he is not the best in his weight class. To this he replied: “(…) I don’t give a damn. I feel I’m the best… and that’s it, I don’t focus on what people say. To have a good fight, it takes both boxers,” he said.

The Tlaxcala II Belt is presented to the winner between Canelo and Crawford

A beautiful handcrafted work is what Saul Alvarez and Terence Crawford will fight for on September 13 in Las Vegas, as the Tlaxcala II Commemorative Belt will also be at stake. It was presented this afternoon, with the presence of the president of the World Boxing Council, Mauricio Sulaiman.

The handicraft, said the boxing leader, is a gift from Mexico to the world of boxing and will be part of one of the most important cards of this year with the return of Canelo Alvarez to Las Vegas against an undefeated rival. Considered, like the Mexican, as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters today.

Canelo Alvarez Details What He Expects From Terence Crawford

Canelo Alvarez knows that he is in for the one of the toughest fights of his life on Sept. 13.

Alvarez has been one of the biggest stars in boxing for nearly a decade, but fans have been critical of the lack of action in his recent performances. Alvarez blamed the lackluster outings on his recent opponents, namely William Scull.

“To have a good fight, you need both fighters,” Alvarez told Ring Magazine. “Boxing is you throw, you get in there and move your ways, move around a little bit, but throw punches. That’s boxing. But when you have one fighter, like we saw with [William] Scull, like running and running, that’s not the kind of fight you want, right? It’s very difficult to close that way and everything. What kind of style is that?

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However, Alvarez does not expect the same game plan from Terence Crawford. The undisputed champion said that Crawford is “not that kind of fighter” and expects his upcoming opponent to bring the action.

“I hope not. I think Crawford is not that kind of fighter. He’s different; he boxes, and I like that.”

Crawford has not typically been the type of fighter to “run.” The 37-year-old has 31 knockouts in his 41 professional fights, including 11 of his last 12.

However, his last outing, a unanimous decision win over Israil Madrimov in his super welterweight debut, was not the most entertaining. Crawford landed just 95 punches across 12 rounds, an unusually low output for him.

Some fans attributed the semi-cautious approach to the change in weight, while others blamed Crawford’s age or Madrimov’s unorthodox style. Regardless, none of the factors are encouraging as ‘Bud’ prepares to move up two more weight divisions for the blockbuster fight with Alvarez.

Canelo Alvarez expects clash of styles against Terence Crawford

While Alvarez is aware of the criticism of his recent performances, he expects the narrative to change after his fight with Crawford. The former pound-for-pound king has not recorded a knockout victory since November 2021, but believes that Crawford’s style could set up an exciting finish.

Alvarez knows that even if he wins, some fans will poke holes at the victory and point out the vast size difference. However, he is also aware that a big knockout victory over a consensus top-three pound-for-pound boxer in the world would force people to reconsider him as one of the most skilled athletes in the sport.