Boxing expert Carl Frampton says Terence Crawford must make it a “boring fight” for him to defeat Canelo Alvarez on Saturday. He states that Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) can’t afford to trade with undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo (63-2-2, 39 KOs) because it would be “dangerous.” He thinks Crawford should jab and move all night.
Fans Demand Exciting Action
That approach will go over really well with the fans at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas and the millions watching the fight at home on Netflix. They’re going to be angry, as this fight has been built up to be a war.
That style has never been Crawford’s approach to fighting. He’s like a mix of Shakur Stevenson, Devin Haney, and Floyd Mayweather Jr. If you put those fighters through a centrifuge, mixing them up, you’d get Crawford. He’s not a slugger, and expecting him to do it now with him jumping up three divisions against a big puncher is unrealistic.
“I don’t think it’s going to be an exciting fight. I think it has to be a boring fight for Crawford to win. He’s going to have to move a lot,” said the analyst and former two-division world champion Carl Frampton to Secondsout about Terence Crawford’s dream matchup against Canelo Alvarez.
The Promoter’s Grand Plan
Turki Alashikh wants to impress the Netflix viewers and, obviously, the top people within that company with the Canelo-Crawford fight. He wouldn’t be doing that if Crawford fails to do his part of making it an action-packed fight by standing and exchanging with Alvarez. If he moves and makes it boring, as Frampton predicted, it’s going to be a nightmare for Turki.
I can just see him in the front row of the audience, his blood pressure boiling, and him inwardly regretting his decision to use Crawford as Canelo’s opponent for this fight.
At last Thursday’s Canelo-Crawford press conference, Turki said, “I want to see blood, smashed faces, and broken bones.”
Frampton’s comments about Crawford needing to make it a “boring fight” won’t exactly be music to Turki’s ears. He chose him for this fight and paid him what is said to be $50 million to challenge Canelo in “The Fight of the Century.”
Crawford Trading Blows is “Silly”
“I think we may see a fight that closes on a close points decision for Crawford. I think a lot of people are saying Crawford now as well. I think it would be a dangerous move,” said Frampton when asked if Crawford should stand and trade with Canelo. “I think it would be silly to trade with Canelo. Try not to let him set his feet.”
It would be bad for Crawford not to trade with Canelo because it is the wrong event for him to turn in a Jerry-like performance by choosing to box and move all night. He got away with that style back when he fought Viktor Postol and others in the past, but he wasn’t in mega-fights like he is now.
There’s more expected of Terence, as the whole world will be watching. Moreover, Turki is the one who chose Crawford over more exciting to watch fighters, like these:
- Osleys Iglesias
- David Benavidez
- Artur Beterbiev
- Jaron Ennis
- Christian Mbilli
