Crawford's Postol performance: A look at Canelo's downfall?

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

Edwards believes Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) couldn't beat David Benavidez, David Morel, Artur Beterbiev or Dmitri 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 he's beatable for Crawford.

A 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 could offer Alvarez wasn't going to lure him into taking the Crawford fight unless he wanted to. He already has enough money to live rich for 20 lifetimes, and can continue to make many millions per fight, taking on easy opposition.

“Yeah, I think he can get to 168 and fight certain people. Do I think he can fight Benavidez or Morel? No, they are too big, too experienced and too tall. That would be a lot to overcome,” Stephen Edwards said Fighthypetalking about Terence Crawford being too small to fight Benavidez or Morrell at super middleweight.

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

“Canelo let guys off the hook nowadays that when he was at his best he usually stopped them. Now he's letting them off the hook because he doesn't have that extra boost in his gas tank. If Budd fought Canelo at 168, Budd would be full of calories. He could eat whatever he wanted at any time of the day,” Edwards said.

Crawford is also aging quite a bit, at 37, and nearly lost his debut at 154 against Israil Madrimov on August 3. He won't be able to win rounds against Canelo with the weak punches he was throwing against Madrimov. Those shots 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 is overtired. If Canelo's punches are much harder, he will win the rounds. Crawford doesn't hit as hard as Jermell Charlo or Erislandy Lara, and those guys were superior in power against Canelo.

Genius at work?

“His energy levels will be off limits. He will probably enter the ring at 159 or 160 pounds. No need to come in at 168 just because that's the weight limit. He has to be quick in this fight,” Edwards said of Crawford.

“I told him (Crawford), 'That fight you had the other night (against Victor Postol at 140, eight years ago on July 23, 2016), that's the fight that can beat Canelo.'” He somehow 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 battles.

The fight against Victor Postol was a long time ago when Crawford was 28 years old. Now 37, he doesn't look as young, fast or mobile as he did in the Postol fight. Crawford has aged. So comparing this version of Crawford to the one he fought Postol to use as an argument for why he will beat Canelo makes no sense. This version of Crawford no longer exists.

It was another person. If he was a monster hitter like Artur Beterbiev, it wouldn't be a big deal that Crawford isn't as young as he was. He is not a big puncher and wins his fights with speed, reflexes and boxing skills. That won't be enough in his current physical condition to beat Canelo, and the judges won't be doing him any favors either.

“I don't think he can beat guys like Bivol and Beterbiev. I think that's overkill, but Canelo,” Edwards said. “He's a great fighter, but my eyes tell me he's slowing down a bit. Canelo, who fought Berlanga. Canelo knocked out Berlanga three years ago. This is not a battle. This is a public execution.

“The fact that he let Berlanga go far. He let Munguya 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. He is strong enough. This is not a weightlifting competition,” Edwards said.