LAS VEGAS –
Terence Crawford wore a look of disbelief and rotated his shoulders when asked to address one of the prominent rumors related to his showdown with
Canelo Alvarez.
Crawford assured a group of reporters that his shoulder isn’t injured after his “grand arrival” Tuesday night at Fontainebleau Las Vegas.
“Where I got a shoulder injury?,” Crawford asked. “I think people coming up with they own antics. ‘Terence Crawford got a shoulder injury. Terence Crawford [is] out of shape. Terence Crawford’s slow.’ … They coming up with all kinds of stuff.”
Fighters typically don’t acknowledge injuries until after fights, but rumors gain momentum immediately in the age of social media. Unfazed, Crawford calmly addressed a lot of speculation Tuesday night regarding his preparation for the biggest fight of his career
Saturday night at Allegiant Stadium, including rampant criticism of his physique and how he’ll handle fighting at the highest weight of his career.
“I’m at my natural weight,” Crawford said. “Me bulking up – a lotta people is taking [it] too far in that, ‘Oh, he’s slow. He’s bulked up. This and that. He’s fat, and this and that.’ I don’t care about all that. I just wanna fight.”
Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs), who will turn 38 on September 28, hasn’t boxed higher than the junior middleweight limit of 154 pounds in 17 years as a pro.
The Omaha, Nebraska, native fought only once above the welterweight maximum of 147. He beat Uzbekistan’s
Israil Madrimov (10-2-1, 7 KOs) by unanimous decision in that 12-round, 154-pound title fight 13 months ago at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.
Mexico’s Alvarez (63-2-2, 39 KOs) has competed as high as 175 pounds twice and no lower than 168 since his last 160-pound title defense against Daniel Jacobs in May 2019.
The 5-foot-8 Crawford is slightly taller than Alvarez, though, has a four-inch reach advantage and doesn’t seem smaller than the undisputed super middleweight champion when they stand next to each other.
“I don’t care if he bigger or I’m bigger,” Crawford said. “We still gotta come fight now. That’s the only thing I’m worried about and thinking about. I’m just waiting, counting the days now.”
The odds on their fight have tightened to the point that Alvarez is hardly favored (minus-165/plus-135 according to DraftKings). Alvarez, ranked eighth by
The Ring pound-for pound, opened as more than a 2-1 favorite when this 12-round bout with third-ranked Crawford was announced.
Netflix will stream their main event for Alvarez’s Ring, IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO 168-pound crowns. The streaming giant’s three-fight undercard coverage is scheduled to start Saturday at 9 p.m. ET (6 p.m. PT).
Keith Idec is a senior writer and columnist for The Ring. He can be reached on X @idecboxing