Super middleweight king Canelo Alvarez has dominated the sport, proving again and again that he’s an unstoppable force. That’s why, despite Terence Crawford’s once-in-a-generation talent, many fans and experts believe he’ll come up short against the Mexican superstar. And it looks like Matchroom boss Eddie Hearn is on the same page!

You see, it took over a year to lure ‘Cinnamon’ into the ring with Crawford. Even then, Saudi Boxing figurehead Turki Alalshikh had to get involved to make it happen. Now, all that is left in making the fight is Canelo’s May 3rd battle against IBF super middleweight champion William Scull. When Canelo defeats Scull, as he is expected to, Canelo and Crawford can fight for the undisputed status at 168 lbs.

Regardless, Hearn—who has promoted several of Canelo Alvarez’s biggest fights—has delivered a grim prediction for Crawford, one that his fans had been desperately hoping to avoid. While appearing in an interview with Fight Hub TV recently, the English promoter claimed there’s a good chance Canelo would win the fight via stoppage given Crawford is moving up two weight classes for the fight. However, it is difficult to fathom Canelo Alvarez knocking someone out given his KO came more than 3 years ago against Caleb Plant. But there is still hope considering Crawford is a pound-for-pound great.

“I mean look, it’s a fantastic fight, you know, two generational greats, two pound for pound greats,” Hearn said about the bout in September at the Allegiant Stadium. “I do think the weight will be too much for Terence. I think even in the Madrimov fight you saw that physically he’s, even at 154, he’s not a big 154.”

“He’s definitely not a big 160 and he’s definitely not even a small 168. But he has got unbelievable skill and he’s got a huge boxing IQ but so has Canelo Alvarez so I do give him the edge in that fight,” Hearn added. When asked about whether the former undisputed super middleweight champion can score a stoppage, Hearn confirmed everyone’s worst fear. 

“Yeah, I believe so,” Hearn said, noting, “If Canelo is active in the fight. You’ve got to get to him early. Terence will be moving his feet and Canelo won’t like that. You know, he wants you to come and fight him.” Regardless of what Hearn says and all the fears about Crawford’s climb to 168 lbs, Terence Crawford himself remains confident about his chances. 

Terence Crawford shared thoughts on the Canelo Alvarez fight

Terence Crawford is embracing the challenge of moving up to 168 pounds to face Canelo Alvarez in a fight expected to take place in September. The undefeated, multi-division champion believes great fighters thrive under pressure. “People say, ‘You’re too small’ or ‘You’re outmatched’ or ‘You don’t belong in the ring with these types of fighters.’ That’s when great fighters perform their best,” Crawford told Boxing Scene.

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Despite concerns about his size, Crawford is confident he’ll be comfortable at the new weight. “I’m going to feel great [at 168]. I don’t need to worry about the weight,” he added. Crawford praised His Excellency Turki Alalshikh for pushing the fight forward. “I’m definitely grateful for what Turki has done in the sport of boxing… making all of these fan-friendly fights,” he said.

Confident in his ability to adjust, Crawford stated, “We’re going to see come fight time what my advantage is.”

It’s not often someone puts everything they have on the line to cement their legacy. But Terence Crawford didn’t think twice before doing it. While the odds are clearly against him, it would be interesting to see whether his confidence in himself remains when the bell rings. Do you think Terence Crawford can beat Canelo Alvarez?