Terence Crawford 30-40% Chance At Beating Canelo Alvarez – Says Tim Bradley

By Chris Williams: Tim Bradley is giving Terence Crawford a 30-40% chance of beating Canelo Alvarez at 168 in a battle for the Mexican star’s four belts. Terence hasn’t said anything about wanting to move up to super middleweight to earn the fight against Canelo, so he’s going to have to depend on Alvarez’s generosity if he’s to get the fright.

(Photo credit: Ryan Hafey/Premier Boxing Champions)

Bradley says Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) is the better-skilled fighter and would set traps and exploit Canelo’s high guard that he uses when marching forward. However, what makes Bradley doubt Crawford’s chances is the size advantage that Canelo  (60-2-2, 39 KOs) has going for him.

Tim doesn’t know how well the welterweight Crawford can handle the heavy shots from Canelo, as he’s only fought one big puncher in his career, and that was Errol Spence, and he was weight drained from dropping down from 190 lbs during camp.

We’ve seen Crawford hurt by lesser punchers than Canelo in his fights against Yuriorkis Gambo and Egidijus Kavaliauskas. If those guys were able to hurt Crawford, he’d be heading for early disaster against Canelo.

Crawford will need to be a salesman and perhaps give Canelo a phone call to try and persuade him to give him a shot because, right now, he’s not interested.

Canelo obviously doesn’t want to look like a fighter that is selecting his opposition from the lower weight classes because that’s what’s would be doing by facing his second straight opponent from divisions below him.

“That’s tough. We know Canelo can be outboxed, but the size difference is what’s scary about that fight,” said Tim Bradley to Fighthype about Terence Crawford moving up to 168 to face Canelo Alvarez.

“If Crawford can’t hurt him, if Crawford can’t stop him from coming forward, and Crawford’s great at exposing high guards. He knows how to come underneath and come around. He knows how to set traps for his opponents, and I think he’ll be able to lay a lot of traps for Canelo.

“I think he’ll give him a lot more issues and problems than [Jermell] Charlo, no doubt about it, because of the mentality and he would come to win. I just wonder whether can he take Canelo’s punch, and can he stay away from Canelo’s punch, and can he absorb the punishment that he’s going to get and have to go through.

“Canelo will close a distance on him, and Canelo will hit him and will pound on him. Now, Crawford, I think, has the skills but, again, the size. That size. The weight classes are there for a reason.

“Crawford definitely would dare to be great. I think he has the skill set to beat a Canelo. If they were the same size, pound-for-pound, Crawford’s skill set is better than Canelo’s, in my opinion.

“Now, they’re not the same size, and that’s where the difficulty comes. I think that’s daring to be great for Crawford because his skill set outmatches Canelo’s. It would be a 30% chance,40% chance because, again, that weight,” said Bradley, rating Crawford’s chances of beating Canelo.

“I believe in my man Crawford. I think he’s different. I’ve never seen anything like him in the sport as long as I lived. I could say that, but that’s tough, it’s tough.

“Crawford’s a winner, Crawford won’t come and lay down, and Crawford will definitely go out on the shield, no doubt about it, but Canelo got other guys he can fry, that he needs to fry before Crawford gets a shot,” said Bradley.