Former middleweight champion Demetrius Andrade has weighed in on the possibility of a blockbuster matchup between Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford, expressing doubts about Crawford’s chances if the fight is contested at super middleweight (168 pounds).
Crawford, who rose from welterweight (147) to junior middleweight (154) and picked up an interim belt by defeating Israil Madrimov, recently set his sights on Canelo, boxing’s biggest star and undisputed cash cow. However, Andrade thinks two weight jumps make the task too daunting.
"I love Crawford. He’s a good friend," Andrade told Fight Hub TV. "But when it comes to weight, empowerment, that stuff is real. Canelo is a big, bad wolf. He can run the whole night. I don’t think Crawford can beat Canelo. But I still think he can give him a good fight."
While Andrade doubts Crawford can bridge the gap at super middleweight, he acknowledges Crawford’s elite skill set might still cause problems for Canelo. Despite his reservations about the outcome, Andrade agrees an Alvarez-Crawford showdown is among the largest fights boxing can deliver today.
"That’s a huge fight," he said. "A lot of fans want to see it. A lot of trainers I’ve spoken to say Terence can bridge the gap between weight and make it even because he’s so damn good with his IQ."
For now, we can only speculate whether Crawford will indeed make the leap to 168 - or how the formidable Alvarez would handle the smaller yet highly skilled Nebraska native.
Biography and technical analysis of Demetrius Andrade are available here.
Image Credit: Sky Sports