Canelo Alvarez isn’t interested in fighting Terence Crawford, even if Crawford is willing to come all the way up to 168 pounds for that opportunity.
Mexico’s Alvarez doesn’t think he would get any credit for fighting Crawford at the super middleweight limit because Crawford would have to move up three weight classes for that pay-per-view bout. Crawford initially stated that he would welcome a showdown with Alvarez at a catch weight of 158 or 160 pounds, which Alvarez immediately dismissed because the four-division champion cannot comfortably box below the super middleweight maximum of 168 pounds anymore.
Crawford more recently stated on Joe Rogan’s popular podcast, however, that he would actually go all the way up to 168 pounds for the chance to face Alvarez. Even then, Alvarez wouldn’t entertain the possibility of fighting Crawford.
The Guadalajara native views a fight with Crawford much the way Crawford feels about boxing Gervonta Davis, a powerful lightweight who would have to move up two divisions, from lightweight to welterweight, for a chance to knock Crawford from his pound-for-pound pedestal.
Co-hosts Charlamagne Tha God and DJ Envy and guest host Akin Reyes asked Alvarez about boxing Crawford during a recent appearance on “The Breakfast Club,” a popular morning radio show on New York’s Power 105.1 FM.
“It’s impossible because like he say, if he beat Gervonta everybody’s gonna say, ‘Yeah, he’s too small,’ and this and that,” Alvarez said. “So, it’s the same thing. I respect Crawford. He’s a good fighter, but we’re in different weight classes.”
When reminded how huge of a fight he and Crawford could put together, Alvarez replied, “Yeah, but I beat him, what are you gonna say? He’s too small. That’s too small.”
The 33-year-old Alvarez nevertheless has a lot of admiration for Crawford, whom he expected to beat welterweight rival Errol Spence Jr. when they finally fought last month.
“I always knew Crawford is a better fighter,” Alvarez said. “I like Spence, too, but if you see Crawford is a better fighter.”
The 35-year-old Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs), a three-weight world champion from Omaha, Nebraska, dropped Spence three times – once in the second round and twice during the seventh round – before he stopped Spence (28-1, 22 KOs) in the ninth round of a surprisingly one-sided 147-pound title unification fight July 29 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Spence previously had stated his own desire to move up two-plus divisions to challenge Alvarez at a catch weight of 164 pounds.
Alvarez (59-2-2, 39 KOs) is training for another Showtime Pay-Per-View bout at T-Mobile Arena next month. He’ll face undisputed junior middleweight champ Jermell Charlo (35-1-1, 19 KOs), whom Crawford also wants to fight, in a 12-rounder for Alvarez’s IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO super middleweight titles September 30.
Charlo will move up two weight classes, 14 pounds in total, for the opportunity to become an undisputed champion in a second division versus Alvarez. Crawford is the only male boxer who has fully unified the IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO belts in two weight classes (welterweight and junior welterweight).
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.