Trainer Bernie Tha Boxer has confirmed that Terence Crawford vs. Canelo Alvarez is “for September 13th.”
Bernie says Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) won the fight against unified super middleweight champion Canelo (62-2-2, 39 KOs) with everything he’s got and he doesn’t need to move up to 168 to defeat any of the contenders to prove himself. What he did from 135 to 154 is enough.
Canelo-Crawford confirmed
Bernie says Crawford’s name will be first before Canelo’s for the September 13th fight. It’s hard to believe, obviously. Sounds like a hoot from Crawford and his team, but if Turki Al-Sheikh is willing to pay for the 38-year-old Bud to move up two weight classes to fight Canelo, that’s what he wants. Depending on what the purses are for Canelo and Crawford, it could turn a profit. I don’t think it will happen if the PPV price is low.
Canelo will be the one to draw fans because Crawford is not a pay-per-view draw. Even with his fight against Ismael Madrimov on an undercard full of big fights last August, he didn’t bring in many buys.
“Super match, great match. Why would he do that after all he’s accomplished and all he’s shown in the ring? Why would he do that?’ said trainer Bernie Tha Boxer to Fighthyperesponding to criticism from fans who believe Terence Crawford needs to prove himself at 168 to show he deserves a fight against unified super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez.
“The things he did have almost never been done before. Two-time undisputed, unified champion in three weights but (won) four (divisions). It has been on the pound for pound list for over 10 years. What more can you ask for? We didn’t get the Pacquiao or Mayweather fight or someone of that caliber. That’s the fight,” Bernie said.
Crawford didn’t fight much to become the undisputed two-division champion. He was like another Adrien Broner, winning four world division titles against fringe opponents. Terence NEVER beat major fighters to win any of his titles in any weight class. They maneuvered him well to avoid the beating.
Fighters Crawford Beat for Two-time Undisputed
Welterweight (147)
- Errol Spence: won IBF, WBA and WBC
- Jeff Horn: Won the WBO
Light Welterweight (140)
- Thomas Dulorme: won the WBO
- Viktor Postol: won the WBC
- Julius Indondo: we IBF & WBA
Size doesn’t matter
“The guy (Canelo) is older and has a lot of experience. He is young. Canelo is 34 or 35, something like that. Nothing comes easy to us. We never got Pacquiao or a guy our size with the global appeal he has. They made sure to stay away from us. It’s no different,” Bernie said.
You can argue that Crawford avoids his own fighters late in his career the same way Pacquiao did when he was 37 or 38 and showed no interest in fighting him. Crawford is in no rush to fight Jaron Ennis, Bakhram Murtazaliev, Vergil Ortiz or Serhii Bohachuk. He’s doing the same thing that Pacquiao was doing late in his career, picking and choosing.
“We face tough challengers and beat them. So they give us Canelo Alvarez, a hard puncher, an IQ of the same caliber and a legend. These were the only challenges Crawford sought, and rightly so. We deserved this challenge to be on the big stage in a big fight in a super fight in what we call a David vs. Goliath battle.
“Again, we have a lot of disadvantages in this race in terms of weight, power, and a lot of things equally in terms of accomplishments and skills. We will climb this mountain. It opens, baby. September 13th, we can’t wait. Crawford vs. Canelo. Like I said, Crawford vs. Canelo. Yes, confirmed. Crawford vs. Canelo, not the other way around.
“Team Crawford is rising. Pound for pound, the best in the world. Soon I will be the super middleweight champion of the world,” Bernie said.
2025-01-24 06:33:00
