Andre Ward says Terence Crawford and Canelo Alvarez will both need to fight toe-to-toe at times on Saturday night for them to get the victory on September 13 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
That’ll be less of a burden fighting that way for the undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo (63-2-2, 39 KOs) because he’s fighting in his division.
“I do believe there’s going to be some toe the line moments for Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford because they really need this fight,” said Andre Ward to Chris Mannix’s YouTube channel.
Required Toe-to-Toe Action
Canelo will be trying to fight toe-to-toe because that’s his style of fighting. The one who needs to change is Crawford. He’ll have to abandon his hit-and-not-get-hit Mayweather-esque retro style to engage with Canelo if he wants to have a chance of winning a decision.
Crawford’s defensive fighting will likely lead to Canelo winning a wide decision, similar to his victory over Jermell Charlo, who moved up two weight classes from 154 to challenge him on September 30, 2023.
“One advantage that he has is that Canelo has been preparing for two different fighters. Terence Crawford has been preparing for one,” said Ward about Crawford’s switch-hitting ability, forcing Canelo to prepare for that in camp.
The switch-hitting from Crawford won’t likely play a factor as much as Ward expects it to. It might work against Crawford with him leaving himself open to getting hit with right rights and left hooks from Canelo if he chooses to fight as a southpaw.
Fighting right-handed would be wiser for Crawford in my estimation. However, that won’t prevent him from at least trying to unsettle Canelo with his switching stances. That style works better against less-seasoned fighters of less talent than a 20-year pro like Canelo, who has more experience against quality opposition than Crawford.
Fighting in the Trenches
“There’s going to be moments where he’s [Crawford] going to step on the gas, and Canelo is going to step back. It’s going to be exciting to see what happens. I think weight is going to be a factor, but I don’t think it’s going to be a primary factor in this fight,” said Ward.
It would be a good idea for Crawford to engage in this fight because he’s not going to be given a cheap win over Canelo like some fans believed he got in his last fight against Israil Madrimov.
Bud Crawford will have to sit down on his punches and be willing to fight in the trenches. If it’s just Canelo that is seen coming forward all night, the judges will likely go with the fighter who is making the fight.
Earning Respect With Punches
“I think he’s [Crawford] going to need to land the right shots to get the respect that he needs to get,” said Ward about Terence needing to hit Canelo hard enough to make him hesitant to attack.
It’s unlikely that Crawford is going to land “the right shots” to force Canelo from attacking him, and getting his pound of flesh on Saturday night. He’s not going to be turned back from landing his own big shots due to the potshots that Crawford is landing. If Terence chooses not to use his hit-and-run style, he’s going to get hit if he stands stationary. Taking punches from Canelo is going to be a new experience for Crawford, especially the body shots.
The Madrimov Fight Analysis
“I think the Madrimov fight was a style thing. Madrimov had a deep amateur pedigree and had a style that is difficult for anybody,” said Ward, explaining why Crawford had problems in his last fight on August 3, 2024, against Israil Madrimov. “Plus, you had Crawford moving up in weight.”
Ward is assuming that it was a “style thing” that caused Crawford to almost lose to Madrimov last year. But it could have been age, inactivity, and moving up to a weight class that he wasn’t cut out for catching up to him. Fighters always want to move up and get bigger paydays in other weight classes. The reality is that when they move up, they quickly discover that they made a mistake.
“You have to believe Terence Crawford is going to be better this time out, and the same can be said about Canelo,” said Ward.
As Ward points out, Crawford didn’t fill out the way he thought he would, moving up from 147 to 154 for the Madrimov. However, he’s not sure if things will be better for Terence jumping up two divisions to fight Canelo. If it wasn’t just a style thing that caused Crawford to have problems in that fight, then it suggests that it’s a combination of these things:
- Weight: Crawford may not have been designed to fight above 147 in a division that his slender frame can’t support.
- Inactivity: Four consecutive years of fighting annually may have caught up to Crawford. Part-time boxers generally don’t do well. I know that’s a generalization, but I believe it’s a valid one. Like any profession, if you’re only on the job on a part-time basis, you can’t expect to outperform those who have been there working hard steadily on a day-to-day basis.
- Age: At 36 for the Madrimov fight and now hitting 38 on September 28, Crawford is getting older. Like many older fighters, he’s beginning to show signs of decline and a drop-off from how he’s performed in the past when he was younger. If he had stayed at 154 and taken on the young lions, Jaron Ennis, Bakhram Murtazaliev, Sebastian Fundora, and Vergil Ortiz Jr., the end result may not have been pretty. Age may have gotten him.