Promoter Oscar De La Hoya is doubling down on his initial prediction for one of boxing’s potential super fights.
Not long after De La Hoya said he tentatively favored Terence Crawford to beat Canelo Alvarez in a hypothetical fight at 168 pounds that would require Crawford to move up three weight classes, the head of Golden Boy followed up with a more forceful forecast.
In a recent interview, De La Hoya made it clear he feels Crawford, the undisputed welterweight champion, would dominate Alverez, the undisputed 168-pound champion. An Alvarez vs. Crawford fight has been abuzz in boxing ever since Crawford stopped Errol Spence Jr. in nine rounds last month. Both Crawford and Alvarez have expressed interest in that fight, although Alvarez has pointed out that he feels he would get little credit for defeating a smaller man.
De La Hoya, who used to promote Alvarez for years before they split on bad terms, clearly doesn’t believe that size is as big a factor as people might think for this potential match-up.
“Terence Crawford will beat Canelo anytime,” De La Hoya told FightHubTV. “Anytime. Because, and this is, look, I said before, the big talented man will beat the small talented fighter but Terence Crawford is not small. Terence Crawford is a big guy. He can walk around at 168 if he wants to. if this fight is made at 164, Terence Crawford all day. But with just the skillset alone, Terence Crawford is a master.
“He will make Canelo look like a child. He will make him look like a child. And that’s just my boxing experience. Do I want Canelo to win? Yes. You know, I promoted Canelo and I want the best for him. I want the best for any fighter. But from a promoter’s view, from an expert’s view, from a fighter’s view, and don’t forget it, it’s 10 world titles in six divisions, from that perspective, Crawford will beat him in a master performance in a masterclass, any given day.”
“Talent, it’s just talent alone,” De La Hoya added. “But Crawford is a big guy. Crawford is taller than Canelo. Crawford can bulk up to Canelo’s size. But the difference is going to be the talent, the feet, look at Canelo’s footwork. He’s walking on cement. Look at Crawford’s footwork. He coordinates it with his upper body. His footwork is just incredible. He knows how to keep the distance. It’ll be a no-brainer.”
Both Crawford and Alvarez will be preoccupied with separate fights for the rest of the year. Alvarez is scheduled to defend his 168-pound titles against undisputed junior middleweight champion Jermell Charlo on Sept. 30 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Crawford will likely face Spence in a rematch at the end of the year, after it was reported last week that Spence activated his rematch clause. Neither a date nor weight has been set as of this time, but Spence has stated his preference is for the fight to take place at the 154-pound limit.
Sean Nam is the author of Murder on Federal Street: Tyrone Everett, the Black Mafia, and the Last Golden Age of Philadelphia Boxing.