With things looking like Artur Beterbiev‘s team trying to negotiate a Canelo Alvarez fight after his Bivol rematch next year, the rumors from the Top Rank leadership have seemingly put an end to a dream fight. For the longest time, Terence Crawford has been trying to get Alvarez’s attention and kick-start his last hurrah in the sport.

But in contrast to the expectations, the unified super middleweight champion has always avoided Bud. Recently, he has also started shunning everyone who asks him about the potential of the fight. Fans are perplexed and confused and want to know the reason behind Canelo avoiding this super fight. Well, former unified welterweight champion Keith Thurman has shed some light on the matter, giving a possible explanation behind the Guadalajara native avoiding the much-vaunted fight.

Canelo Alvarez troubled by the past, says Keith Thurman

During an interview with FightHype TV, Thurman recalled an anecdote from a few years ago where Canelo made a revelation regarding the Bud Crawford fight. The 30-1 boxer stated, “I remember Canelo talking about not wanting to fight Crawford because it just reminded him of fighting Amir Khan.” Canelo Alvarez fought the former unified light-welterweight champion Amir Khan back in May 2016 to defend his WBC middleweight title. Khan, a welterweight at the time, like Terence Crawford, had moved up two weight divisions to fight Canelo in a middleweight bout.

Thurman further stated that like the Amir Khan fight, the 62-2-2 boxer has nothing to gain from facing Crawford. “Fighting the smaller guy, nothing to really gain and if he wins, they’re just, you know, there’s nothing to really say,” said Thurman.

While Canelo Alvarez completely dominated Amir Khan and brutally knocked out the latter in the sixth round, the aftermath was ugly. Fans and critics accused Canelo of cherry-picking easy fights. Even before the fight, many fans and critics had termed this fight as a mismatch because of the weight difference between them.

While Keith Thurman understood the confidence and desperation behind Terence Crawford’s demand, he asserted that Canelo wouldn’t accept the fight. “When you have a legacy like that it’s he gets to choose what he wants to do with his legacy you know,” explained Thurman. According to him, Canelo Alvarez feels the same about facing Terence Crawford. So much so that he has previously taken digs at Crawford and has advised him to stay at 147lbs.

Terence Crawford believes he is a threat to Canelo’s legacy

However, Thurman’s argument doesn’t exactly hold water, as Crawford had already spoken on the weight disparity issue during the leadup to the Canelo Alvarez vs Edgar Berlanga fight in September.

Speaking on the issue on Shawn Porter’s The PorterWay Podcast, Bud had stated, “Canelo [has] been making his own catchweight for years, Canelo fought a smaller Mayweather. Canelo fought a smaller Amir Khan, Jermell Charlo,” adding if he were an easy fight due to the lower weight, why would Canelo need to demand $150 million for the fight.

Terming Canelo’s argument as an excuse, Crawford asserted, “I’m a threat to his legacy.” Well, we have seen this sport enough to know that ‘Never say never,’ but at this moment, the chances of Terence Crawford vs Canelo Alvarez happening look pretty slim. With Bob Arum already pushing for Beterbiev to face Canelo, who Canelo gives a shot next year remains to be seen.

What are your thoughts on Keith Thurman’s argument? Does Canelo really have nothing to gain from this fight? Let us know your thoughts down below.