Promoter Eddie Hearn says that the relationship between the Honorable Turki Alalshikh and Canelo Alvarez can be fixed so that they can work together in a big fight in the future.
Hearn points out that Canelo’s decision to delay discussing the big fight against Terence Crawford until after his September 14 defense against Edgar Berlanga meant that the Canelo-Crawford fight would not happen in February.
Crawford will have to fight someone else, just like him Vergil Ortiz Jr., or perhaps a rematch with former WBA junior middleweight champion Israel Madrimov. Given the struggles Crawford, 36, faced against the tough Madrimov in their Aug. 3 fight, he may go for a lighter fight with slugger Vergil Jr.
Vergil beat Serhi Bohachuk last weekend, and he may not be ready to fight Crawford before the end of the year.
Crawford’s Pride Could Cost Him the Canelo Fight
Whether Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) and Turki can agree on the money to fight Crawford is unclear. If Mexican superstar Canelo wants $150 million+ for that fight, it could break the bank because Crawford will want a ridiculous number, and he’s not measuring it after his poor performance against Madrimov.
Terence will need to fight Canelo at a discount, and he won’t. He has a lot of pride, which will reduce his chances of getting that golden parachute.
Crawford looked mediocre against Madrimov. It was like watching a novice fighter against an expert. Madrimov landed the big punches in this fight and looked to outmatch Crawford. The fight was similar to Canelo vs. Erislandy Lara in 2014.
Like Crawford, Lara was more striking, fighting on the outside, while Canelo focused on power shots. It’s no surprise that the judges gave Canelo the win because of the hard punches he threw. Madrimov was similar to Canelo, but the judges gave him the jabber Crawford. Would they have done that if Crawford wasn’t more popular than Madrimov? The answer is obvious.
Canelo’s focus on Berlanga
“For some reasons, Canelo did not want to have those discussions. And then there’s the frustration of, ‘We can do a deal now,’” said Eddie Hearn on the Matchroom Boxing YouTube channel about Canelo Alvarez not willing to discuss a fight against Terence Crawford until after his defense against Edgar Berlanga on September 14.
You can’t blame Canelo for not wanting to discuss a fight with Crawford because he has a tough fight ahead of him with the 27-year-old Berlanga, who is a light heavyweight. He is another David Benavidez type of fighter who melts at 168 to take advantage of his size.
Berlanga is big in the super middleweight division, and he can punch. Canelo had trouble with his last opponent, Jaime Munguia, landing a lot of hard shots in that fight last May.
Berlanga is the same type of fighter but with more power. With his strength and primitive fighting style, he resembles a Neanderthal man. His strength and ability to tear down his prey would have made him perfect for the Stone Age.
I saw Berlanga jump on the back of a Whooly Mammoth while hunting. Because of his size and strength, Berlanga will not be easy for Canelo.
“I was not the way Canelo wanted to do that deal. He wanted to wait until the Berlanga fight was over, which disappointed His Majesty, and killed the Crawford fight in February because he wanted this fight to end now,” said Hearn on the big fight between Canelo and Crawford.
Crawford’s waiting game
It shouldn’t be the end of the world for Crawford if he has to wait until the second half of 2025 to fight Canelo. If he is desperate to fight Canelo, he will wait to fight someone good to show the fans that he can get a chance to face the Mexican star. Right now, his fans about Crawford are looking forward to fighting Canelo on the pay day he gets, it doesn’t matter if he loses. He just wants the money he can get.
Crawford should consider fighting one of the following talents to prepare for Canelo:
– Sebastian Fundora
– David Morrell
– David Benavidez
– Janibek Alimkhanuly
– Serhii Bohachuk
– Artur Beterbiev
“I know that His Excellency respects Canelo Alvarez. Everyone respects him as a hero, and he’s a good man,” said Hearn when asked if the relationship between Turki Alalshikh and Canelo could be repaired.
“The way Turki works and the way he does business is amazing in boxing. Therefore, those two, at some point, will work together, but only in battles that His Highness sees as a major battle.”
Canelo would enjoy this fight with Crawford, but he should treat him well because there is no place where he will come out well. It’s a way for Crawford to become a star, and Canelo gets nothing out of it.
Crawford will get all the credit in this fight unless Canelo knocks him out in the early rounds, and that’s unlikely to happen. This is a fight where Crawford will look like 24k gold no matter how the match ends. As long as Crawford doesn’t get wiped out by Canelo like Amir Khan did, he’ll get a standing ovation from the fans.
“You’ve got two very strong people there,” Hearn said. “You have one guy in Canelo Alvarez, who likes to make his own decisions, his things in his own time, and you have another player in His Majesty, who wants to do big fights now. Not in three months. Now the marination. Now.
“Obviously he’s going to be frustrated like other fight fans who are going to be certain fights. His job is to make sure they do it,” said Hearn.
Canelo-Crawford can be done as long as Canelo doesn’t ask for a crazy number and Crawford doesn’t do the same. Crawford could be a real problem because his victories over Madrimov and Errol Spence put ideas in his head, making him think he is equal.
Negotiations must move quickly because Canelo will not have time to negotiate with Crawford, who is working hard.
Source link
