Ring host Max Kellerman was calling Terence Crawford out for being an age denier when he casually mentioned that he’s 38 now, potentially needing to turn in the type of performance that he had against Errol Spence for him to defeat Mexican great Canelo Alvarez on Saturday night in Las Vegas.
The Quibble Over Age
Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) corrected Kellerman when he labeled him as 38, and questioned whether he could turn in the kind of performance at the advanced age again to defeat undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo (63-2-2, 39 KOs) in their headliner on Netflix at Allegiant Stadium.
Terence quibbled over him being prematurely called a 38-year-old, two weeks early this month. He turns 38 officially on September 28. To him, being assigned that number was a big deal, which is a textbook example of a person struggling to come to terms with the reality of his own aging.
The Madrimov Performance
It doesn’t matter what Crawford wants to call himself. Fans saw for themselves last year in his fight against Israil Madrimov on August 3, 2024, that he looked like a fighter nearing 40. He still won the fight by the skin of his teeth, but it was so close and a real eye-opener that Bud is not the young, spry fighter he’d been 3000 years ago.
“On Saturday, everybody is going to give Terence Crawford his props when he’s victorious. I ain’t 38. I’m 38,” said Terence Crawford to Ring Magazine on X, reacting to host Max Kellerman calling him 38 rather than 37.
“When is your birthday? The 28th?” said Kellerman.
“Yes,” said Crawford.
“Come on, that’s close enough,” said Kellerman.
“I’m 37. Don’t be putting an extra numeral on me,” said Crawford.
“A couple of weeks, that’s all the difference. Can you do it at that age?” said Kellerman.
“Let me show you,” said Crawford.
Before Crawford got bent out of shape about his age, Kellerman was trying to make a point that he needed to put on the kind of performance that he’d shown against Spence on July 29, 2023, for him to beat Canelo. That could be the reality that Crawford is facing.
A Time Machine Needed
He either finds a time machine to bring back that version of himself from 2023, or his goose might be cooked by Canelo. It doesn’t appear that way to me. Crawford is going up three weight classes at 38-ish to fight one of the best fighters at 168, Canelo.
I don’t see Canelo as the best at 168, but he’s among the top five or six. That’s more than good enough to be a nightmare for the version of Crawford we saw against Madrimov 13 months ago.