Rolando "Rolly" Romero has fired off his prediction for the September 13 clash between Terence Crawford and Canelo Alvarez: he sees "Bud" boxing well early - much like Amir Khan did - only to get caught by one big Canelo shot that ends the night in knockout fashion.
Rolly believes Crawford’s move up to 168 is simply too steep, especially at age 38. He compares it to Canelo's ill-fated jump to 175 against Dmitry Bivol, but warns Crawford’s situation could be even more dire given the 14-pound leap. He also points to Crawford’s last fight against Israil Madrimov, noting Crawford got hit far more than usual and looked “his age“ with some swelling around the face.
In Rolly’s view, any attempt to dance around and outbox the bigger man will eventually wear on Bud’s older legs, opening him up to that one crushing blow. He references Amir Khan’s relative success against Canelo before suffering a brutal KO - insisting Crawford’s fate could be similar. Ultimately, Rolly expects the firepower of Canelo’s left hooks to be too much once Crawford tires.
We already know the storyline: smaller, older boxer with exceptional skills versus the naturally bigger superstar who though not jab-heavy of late still packs monstrous power. Will Crawford shock the world by mastering the weight climb, or does he risk stepping on the same landmine that many others have hit when facing Canelo’s power at 168? We’ll see soon enough.
Get to know more about Rolando here.
Image Credit: ESPN