Andre Ward still believes Terence Crawford will beat three-belt 168-lb unified champion Canelo Alvarez despite his lack of showing in his debut at 154 against ‘Little GGG’ Israil Madrimov on August 3. He got hit hard by the GGG clone in that fight.
Ward admits he doesn’t believe the Canelo-Crawford fight will happen, and he’s right about that. Crawford has shown no desire to move up to 168 to prove he is capable of existing with the sharks in that weight division.
This lack of wanting to prove himself resulted in him losing his chance to meet King Canelo. It takes courage and ambition for a fighter to prove himself.
The Proving Fights Crawford at 168
- David Morrell
- David Benavidez
- Osley Iglesias
- Diego Pacheco
- Edgar Berlanga
Andre is not giving up on Crawford
Ward is behind the 37-year-old Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs), believes he can beat Canelo (62-2-2, 39 KOs) or anyone until they “show” him that he can be beaten – Madrimov , an 11-fight rookie, came awfully close to defeating Crawford, losing a 12-round unanimous decision on points. 116-112, 115-113 and 115-113.
Crawford’s performance showed that he was not physically designed to fight above the 147 lb division. He is too small, weak and old to fight the talents at 154, and 168 would be a disaster for Crawford.
Obviously, the money would be a cushion for the ego hit Crawford would take, losing to the face of the boxer Canelo. The dough that Crawford would make from the Canelo fight would be a salve for his wounded pride, as he could cry all the way to the bank.
“I will go with Terence Crawford. A big jump in weight, a dangerous fight, but someone has to prove to me that they can break the will of Terence Crawford, and can not understand against you,” said the commentator Andre Ward. Boxing newschoose Terence Crawford over Canelo Alvarez if the two fight.
Crawford’s trainer, Brian ‘BoMac’ McIntyre, has already said that if Canelo agrees to a fight, the plan he will use is the one that Floyd Mayweather Jr. he did boxing from the outside and moved. In other words, Canelo would have to chase Crawford around the ring all night, and he’s not going to fight one of those backup-first types of guys at this stage of his career.
“It’s no disrespect to Canelo, but I’ve been saying this for the last two years. I’m not betting against Terence Crawford against anyone right now. You have to show me that you can beat him, but I don’t think we have the fight” , said Ward.
It would help if Crawford showed that he is willing to fight David Benavidez, Artur Beteriev, or Dmitry Bivol to prove that he deserves a fight against Canelo.
