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Matchmaker Eddie Hearn has labeled the Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford match as “freak fight”, seeing it as only for “a lot of money” when they potentially meet in September.
Hearn says Crawford, 37, doesn’t need to prove himself at 168 first, as he’s only going for one “money” fight against WBA, WBC and WBO super middleweight champion Canelo (62-2-2, 39 KOs).
Crawford jumps the line
In other words, it’s okay for Crawford to jump the queue in front of competitors who have worked hard to get a chance to fight for a world title. Is it fair? No.
It’s completely 100% unfair, and it’s troubling that another 154-pounder is getting the opportunity to move up two weight classes to challenge Canelo for his titles, rather than one of the most deserving contenders.
Boxing needs a commissioner
As Tim Bradley says, boxing needs a commissioner to oversee the sport and create rules against it line cutters they get undeserved opportunities to fight for world titles in weight classes they’ve never competed in.
If there was a commissioner in charge of the sport, they wouldn’t have allowed Crawford to move up to 168 in a world title fight unless he earned it by beating the best competitors in front of him.
Hearn’s Defends ‘Freak Fight’
“No, because it’s a freak fight.” His career is not going to 168 lbs. It’s a one time freak fight for a lot of money. It is what it is,” Eddie Hearn said Fighthippe when asked to respond to critics who say Terence Crawford should first test himself against one of the best super middleweights before challenging Canelo Alvarez for his three titles at 168.
“After that fight, he’ll probably go back to 154. Don’t forget, believe me he struggled a little bit against (Israel) Madrimov.” He struggled because Madrimov is a good fighter. He (Crawford) is not big at 154 pounds, and don’t forget. He went up from 147 and before that he was at 140. Before that he was at 135.
“To go from 135 to 168 and win the unified world title.” It would go down as one of the greatest wins of all time, but you know Bud. He is ready for the challenge. I think it makes him the best fighter of our generation if he steps up and beats Canelo Alvarez at 168.
I disagree with Hearn about Crawford not needing to earn the fight against Canelo by first fighting at 168. He should, because how is this fair to competitors like Christian Mbili, Diego Pacheco and Caleb Plant?
It’s a joke in sports to see this line jump. It’s hard to see boxing as a real sport when you see them allowing fighters to move up two weight classes and instantly win a world title.
Crawford’s CV
“He’s a four-division world champion,” Hearn said of Crawford. “He’s undisputed at 140 and 147. I don’t think his wins at 140 have been that strong. I mean, he beat everyone he had to. Errol Spence’s win is obvious. Then, moving to 154. Madrimov is a very good fighter. You can always question people’s biographies, but Terence is certainly one of the greatest fighters of all time.”
Crawford’s resume at 147 and 140 was water-thin, consisting of wins against this weak group:
Errol Spence
Jose Benavides Jr.
David Avanesian
Jeff Horn
Sean Porter
Kell Brook
Aamir Khan
Egidius Kavaliauskas
Julius Indongo
Felix Diaz
John Molina Jr
Victor Postol
Henry Lundy
Derry Jean
Thomas Dulorme
Porter, Brook, Kahn and Spence were all over the hill by the time Crawford went up against them. They were nowhere near what they were in the prime of their careers. The only one at the elite level of that group was Spence, and after 2018, he was not the same fighter.
It was the last year of the vintage, high-end version of Spence. Crawford got a destroyed version of Spence after a car accident, two years out of the ring and weight loss.
“He (Turki Al-Sheikh) has a very high success rate.” So you have to think there’s a good chance the (Canelo vs. Crawford) fight will happen. I think it’s a very intriguing battle between two generations of greats. “I think it’s very difficult for Bud to move up that high in weight, but if anyone can do it, it might be him,” Hearn said.
Canelo too much at 168
Crawford can’t go up 14 pounds from 154 to beat Canelo at 168. It’s not going to happen. Crawford will be 38 years old in September and is NOT Floyd Mayweather Jr. and even if he was, he would still be out of his league because Canelo is no longer 22 and will not be fighting at 152. That’s how old Canelo was when Mayweather fought him at 152.
“His movement and IQ are second to none, but it’s difficult when you face Canelo Alvarez.” It’s not just 168. At night it’s probably 180, 185. It’s going to be a big task,” Hearn said of what Crawford is up against.
