The trainer of pound-for-pound fighter David Benavidez did not hold back about his September 13th prediction.
Terence Crawford vs Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez is one of the most anticipated boxing events of the year, and it will be a marquee week for boxing fans around the world.
Dana White of the UFC will collaborate with Turki Alalshikh to put on a week of boxing matches before the big finale in Las Vegas.
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No one is sure what the American’s game plan will be, considering he has a disadvantage in weight, but one former world champion believes he may ‘bully’ Canelo.
Terence Crawford will make the Canelo Alvarez clash a ‘Tom and Jerry’ fight
While the Mexican is seen as a ‘massive favourite’ by Carl Froch, the majority of boxing’s most respected voices have backed Crawford to beat the 35-year-old, with a minority believing a late stoppage may be a reality.
However, the boxing trainer Jose Benavidez Sr is not convinced that ‘Bud’ will even take the fight to the undisputed super middleweight champion.
Benavidez is not as impressed with the 37-year-old from Omaha as others inside the sport are, and believes this is not going to be a contest the fans will enjoy.
Speaking to Fight Hub TV, he said: “I think it’s going to be a Tom and Jerry fight, at the end of the day, Crawford has not been looking really good. We saw how he looked at his past fight. Canelo, the reflexes are not there, his power is not there.
“The knees are not the same. Canelo is going to try to knock him out, but Crawford is going to do what he does best. He’s going to move around, try to win the rounds.”
The last two performances of the former undisputed welterweight champion have been vastly different from one another.
Arguably his greatest career performance against Errol Spence Jr in 2023 ended with a ninth-round knockout, whereas his most recent victory, in a weight division above, saw him have some trouble with Olympian Israil Madrimov.
It is the latter performance that Sr thinks viewers should expect.
“If Crawford stays, Canelo can knock him out because Canelo is a bigger guy. I don’t think Crawford’s going to come and give the fans what they want. He doesn’t care,” he said.
Ryan Garcia can see Canelo Alvarez replicating his infamous knockout on Terence Crawford
A fellow star of the sport, Ryan Garcia, also weighed in on the super-fight with a different take from others in the sport.
In clips posted to social media, he provided his prediction on what Alvarez could replicate from a past fight.
Garcia said: “Right now, I would put my money on Canelo Alvarez. I can see Crawford getting knocked out in Amir Khan style.”
The Amir Khan knockout would seem the best example due to the British boxer overcoming the two-weight class disparity just like ‘Bud’ will have to in September.
Khan had warned Crawford in 2024 about a clash with Canelo, but he is supporting the American who cornered him for his final fight against Kell Brook.