Richardson Hitchins is picking Terence Crawford to defeat Canelo Alvarez if the two fight for the undisputed super middleweight championship this September.
Hitchins says Crawford is too skilled for Canelo (60-2-2, 39 KOs) to defeat him, given his low work rate and how he loads up on his punches.
Canelo’s Disinterest
It’s unknown if Canelo will give Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) a shot because he told the media this month that he has no interest in fighting him because he has nothing to gain.
If Canelo were to win, the media and fans wouldn’t give him credit because Terence fights at 147 and has never competed at 168. Crawford would be moving up 21 lbs to take the fight, giving him a built-in excuse to tell the fans if he were to lose.
Crawford isn’t going to go up to 168 and earn the Canelo fight by facing David Benavidez or David Morrell for obvious reasons. Those guys hit too hard and are too big for Crawford. This is more about business.
If Crawford gets the Canelo fight, it would be a massive payday, and maybe he wins if he can outbox the Mexican star the way Floyd Mayweather Jr. did many years ago in their fight in 2013, which was boring.
Risky Business
“He’s going to beat Canelo. Canelo’s style is too predictable,” said Richardson Hitchins to Fighthype, predicting that Terence Crawford will beat undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez if they fight in September.
“Terence is like a computer. He knows boxing all around. He’s a pure boxer. So, I feel like Canelo’s pressure and his punch output isn’t enough to break Terence down or overwhelm Terence. He’s just going to be looking for a big shot,” Hitchins continued.
“But I feel it should be at a catchweight. It should be at a weight where both guys are comfortable, maybe 158 or some s***, or 157,” said Hitchins when told that Canelo punches “really hard” and would be dangerous for Crawford.
Canelo would never agree to a catchweight or come down to 160 for a fight against Crawford. If the Nebraska native attempted to insist on either of those things, the negotiations would end immediately.
“He [Canelo] can’t make 160? I don’t know. That’s tough. They got to be able to have a rehydration clause. Canelo is the man. It’s his word. It’s going to be tough, but I’m backing Terence,” said Richardson.
