Ex-World Champion Gives Terence Crawford a ‘Great Chance’ Against Canelo

On September 12 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Canelo Alvarez will defend his undisputed super middleweight crown against “Bud” Crawford. It’s a fight that’s captured the imagination of the boxing world, with ex-WBA and lineal featherweight champion Barry McGuigan offering his breakdown in an interview with Betway.

Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford Set for September 12

Barry McGuigan Breaks Down Undisputed Clash

Terence Crawford vs Alvarez was formally announced in the ring by Turki Alalshikh following the underwhelming fight between Canelo and William Scull, which is a fight best forgotten.

Speaking to Betway about the upcoming mega clash, McGuigan said: “I think Crawford needs to go back to his old self in the sense of him being a good puncher and his timing.”

“He is an old-fashioned fighter in the Sugar Ray Robinson style with everything being miniscule timing, he makes you fall short by just a fraction and then walks in with a counter shot.

“But in this fight, in order to take the sting out of Canelo’s power early on, he will have to drift in and out of punching range and not hold his feet as much. He doesn’t have to run around the ring but he needs to be mobile.

“Certainly, in the early stages of the fight and then walk Canelo onto shots, beat him to the punch and move around andhope not to get hit himself.”

Terence Crawford vs Canelo: Barry McGuigan Talks Tactics for ‘Bud’

It’s clear that Scull failed to engage sufficiently, but McGuigan believes “Bud” needs to be elusive in the early stages: “Crawford doesn’t have the same footwork as Scull has and maybe isn’t as elusive because Crawford is courageous and a risk taker,” he said. “He prides himself on exchanging with you.

“Crawford won’t do that with Canelo early on into the fight and he will be as evasive and as elusive as he can be, because if not he will get dragged into a trench war. That wouldn’t work as effectively.

“When you’ve worked out Canelo is losing his power, then step your foot on the gas and exchange with him but Canelo will know what to do.

“They both know how to box and cope with various styles. I think Terence Crawford has a great chance of winning,” added the Clones native.