Mykal Fox says the two-division weight jump for Terence Crawford makes it difficult for him to pick him to dethrone undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez on September 13th.
The junior middleweight Fox states that there’s a reason they have weight classes. If not for Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) competing 2 to 3 divisions above his natural weight class, he would give him a better shot at defeating Canelo (63-2-2, 39 KOs).
Alvarez vs. Crawford will meet in 12 days on September 13 on Netflix from the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Undercard
– Callum Walsh vs. Fernando Vargas Jr.
– Christian Mbilli vs. Lester Martinez
– Mohammed Alakel vs. John Ornelas
– Serhii Bohachuk vs. Brandon Adams
– Ivan Dychko vs. Jermaine Franklin
– Reito Tsutsumi vs. Javier Martinez
– Sultan Almohammed vs. Martin Caraballo
– Steven Nelson vs. Raiko Santana
– Marco Verde vs. Marcos Osorio Betancourt
The Rationale for Weight Classes
“There are weight classes for a reason, but as far as skill set goes, Bud has all the skills required to beat Canelo Alvarez,” said junior middleweight Mykal Fox to the Sean Zittel channel.
It’s not just one weight class that Crawford is moving up. It’s two, and really, three, given that he’d only fought once at 154. If this were a different type of combat sport, Crawford would stand a better chance of handling a weight jump of that magnitude.
He’s going up essentially three weight classes from 147 to 168 to face one of the hardest punchers in the division, Canelo. The weight jump wouldn’t be as much of a factor if Bud were facing a super middleweight with moderate power. That’s not the case here. Canelo is a big puncher, and he goes to the body well.
What we’ve seen throughout Canelo’s career is that he wins rounds, even when he’s outlanded by his opponents. The judges give him the rounds because he’s landing cleaner, harder punches.
The Madrimov Fight’s Lesson
That could play a factor on September 13th with Crawford potentially outlanding Canelo by a small margin, but lacking the same pop in his punches to impress the judges. Crawford got a big break in his last fight against WBA junior middleweight champion Israil Madrimov when he outlanded him by a small 11-punch margin. Madrimov appeared to land with more power, but the judges still awarded the decision to Crawford.
“Terence was badly marked up, and he couldn’t miss him with a right hand. He landed the heavier shots on him unquestionably,” said Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn to BoxNation, giving his thoughts on the Crawford vs. Madrimov outcome.
“I think he still has more bounce in his feet than [Alvarez]. Canelo has always been kind of flat-footed,” said Fox about Crawford. “Crawford has more bounce in his feet. He’s a good counter-puncher. He has a good jab. He has everything that’s required of him. The only thing playing against him, in my opinion, is just the weight class. My whole thing is that there are weight classes for a reason.”
The weight, power, and activity advantage that Alvarez has could work in his favor. I believe it will. Seeing how Crawford performed in his last fight against Madrimov. Now, Crawford moving up two divisions to face Canelo after a year out of the ring at age 37, it’s going to be too much in my opinion.
Age and Layoff Against ‘Bud’
- Weight: A two-weight jump for Crawford to perform in a division he’s never fought in.
- Power: The pop wasn’t present in Crawford’s punching, moving up from 147 to 154 in his last fight. Now, he’s moving up two divisions.
- Activity: 13-month layoff
- Age: He turns 38 on September 28
- Lack of experience: Terence has never fought at 168.
“It’s hard to fight against that. The only thing going against him is the weight class. I’m pretty sure he’s [Crawford] the underdog, but it makes sense as to why,” said Fox.