Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford never seemed destined to cross paths. Both men might be pound-for-pound regulars but they've spent their entire careers competing in entirely different weight classes. Nowadays, however, Crawford is convinced that the huge discrepancy in weight wouldn't be a factor. In short, skills pay the bills.
Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) is doing his best to poke Alvarez, maybe even agitate him into a fight. The Ring’s No. 1 ranked junior middleweight is at the tail end of his Hall of Fame career and has already stated that if he doesn't get his hands on Alvarez, it could be the last time anyone ever sees him in a professional setting.
Recently, rumors have swirled that their mega matchup could become a reality. With Turki Alalshikh (His Excellency) showing a strong interest in making it happen, Crawford is waiting patiently in the hopes that he’ll get exactly what he’s looking for. Eddie Hearn, on the other hand, doesn't mean to be a killjoy, but Canelo vs. Crawford isn't something he believes will ever happen.
“I’d be very surprised if that fight happens," said Hearn to FightHype.com. "I think His Excellency has been pushing that fight. It didn’t seem like something Canelo is really up for, to be honest.”
Crawford, just a few short months ago, moved up from 147 pounds to win a junior middleweight title against Israil Madrimov. Alvarez, when asked to give his candid thoughts on Crawford’s 154-pound debut, told reporters that Crawford was given a bit of a lucky decision.
Alvarez, for the better part of six years, has fought against much larger men. The Ring’s current super middleweight champion and unified titlist reveres Crawford but the difference in size, from his point of view, will lead to an avalanche of criticism if they swapped fists. If the viewing public were more forgiving, Hearn has a feeling that he would be more open to it. But since they aren’t, he understands why Alvarez (62-2-2, 39 KOs) isn’t beguiled about their possible matchup.
“When I’ve spoken to Canelo before about that fight, I think his kind of feeling is, when I beat Crawford - everyone’s gonna say that I beat a 154-pounder.”