Roy Jones Jr. says he questions whether or not Canelo Alvarez nonetheless has the starvation in him going into his battle in opposition to Terence Crawford this Saturday evening, September 13. Jones Jr. states that he is aware of Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) continues to be hungry.
Can Crawford Take a Shot?
“Can Bud take a punch? I’m fairly certain he can do. We’ll have an excellent battle on our palms,” stated Roy Jones Jr. to All The Smoke, speaking in regards to the Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford battle. “There are a number of methods for Bud to win it, however a method for Canelo to lose.
The query is, can Crawford take Canelo’s punch? We all know he can take punches from the final fighter he fought at 154, Israil Madrimov. We’ll see on Saturday if Crawford can take Canelo’s photographs as a result of if he can’t, it’s going to be a brief evening. We might see Canelo rating certainly one of his spotlight reel knockouts.
Crawford’s Starvation Stays
“Bud is a champion, and says loads. And on high of that, Bud continues to be hungry. Canelo, I don’t know if he has that starvation nonetheless left in him. If he was nonetheless hungry, then we’re in for an excellent evening. If he’s not hungry, it’s going to be tough,” stated Roy Jr.
Crawford is a champion at 154, not 168. Surprisingly, he hasn’t been stripped of his WBA junior middleweight title for failing to defend it in over a 12 months since he captured it on August 3, 2024. Calling Crawford a champion means nothing as a result of he’s a champion in a division two weight lessons down.
Jones Jr. didn’t say why he thinks Canelo isn’t hungry any longer. If he weren’t, he wouldn’t have skilled onerous and would have doubtless misplaced to his final three opponents.
The Weight Leap Issue
“I don’t suppose the load goes to be an element in any respect,” stated Jones Jr. “When he [Crawford] was combating at 147, he needed to boil down from 175 to 180. He’s [only] going to need to boil right down to 168 now, as a result of I’m fairly certain he went above 168 earlier than he began coaching.”
The bounce up two divisions in weight might not assist Crawford, particularly given his resolution to not take warm-up fights at 160 or 168 kilos first to organize himself. Not like Canelo, Terence didn’t have title sparring companions. Crawford was utilizing Steven Nelson and Alarenz Stanton. Canelo used his huge wealth to rent Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis and Yoenli Hernandez.
“I don’t suppose Crawford goes to cease hitting onerous at 37, 38 years previous,” stated host Andre Ward.
“He’s not,” stated Jones Jr. about his perception that Crawford gained’t lose his energy now that he’s turning 38.
What Jones Jr. and Ward are failing to notice is that Crawford’s energy wasn’t there in his transfer as much as 154 final 12 months on August 3, 2024, in opposition to Israil Madrimov. His punches appeared weak compared to Madrimov’s, and he by no means got here near hurting him.
Diminished Reflexes Floor
The opposite factor that they’re lacking out on with Crawford is the diminished reflexes. He regarded slower to react to punches than earlier than, and it value him. He was hit repeatedly by Madrimov’s proper hand.
In a single sequence, Madrimov landed 5 consecutive proper palms, and Crawford didn’t block any of them. So, whereas his energy should be there, his reflexes present indicators of decay. That’s age. When Roy Jr. was 38, he was attempting to select up the damaged items of his profession after having misplaced three consecutive fights two years earlier. Like Crawford, Jones Jr. depended readily available velocity and reflexes.
