Terence Crawford projected an image of self-assurance as he arrived in Las Vegas today, ready for his upcoming contest against Canelo Alvarez, the undisputed champion in the super middleweight division. Their match is scheduled for Saturday night, September 13, at Allegiant Stadium.
Unaffected by Negative Reactions
Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) mentioned that the scattered boos from Canelo’s supporters didn’t bother him. He related it to a similar situation earlier in his career when he faced Ricky Burns on March 1, 2014, in Glasgow, Scotland.
The audience size will be considerably larger on Saturday night, with an expected 65,000 attendees, many of whom will be cheering for Canelo. In comparison, Crawford’s fight against Burns took place before an audience of roughly 10,000 at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre.
“This feels familiar to when I went to Scotland and fought Ricky Burns. So, this is nothing new to me,” said Terence Crawford during his arrival in Las Vegas for the Canelo Alvarez fight on Saturday.
“They’ll be quiet when Saturday arrives,” Crawford commented regarding Canelo’s fans at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Should the crowd remain vocal, the implications are clear. Crawford could face a tough challenge from Canelo, potentially suffering a beating or even a knockout. This would reinforce the significance of weight divisions.
Typically, a fighter would gradually move up through weight classes, engaging with top contenders to adjust. However, Crawford bypassed this process, largely due to Turki Alalshikh’s influence. Consequently, the potential downsides of skipping steps may become evident.
BoMac Discusses Movement
“BoMac, many suggest you’re preparing your fighter to avoid engagement. Will he be running?” asked host Max Kellerman to Crawford’s trainer, Brian ‘BoMac’ McIntyre.
“Does it seem like he’s planning to run?” BoMac responded.
Is that a subtle question? Crawford appeared similar to his days at 147 and 140, where he often moved around during fights. This approach arguably hindered his rise to stardom, as his style wasn’t as captivating as fighters like Errol Spence, Manny Pacquiao, and Keith Thurman.
“They anticipate that you will,” Kellerman said, gesturing towards Canelo’s supporters.
“Have we ever disappointed you?” BoMac inquired.
“How do you believe your fighter can defeat Canelo Alvarez, the super middleweight champion?” Kellerman asked.
“Ring IQ,” BoMac stated.
“Ring IQ? Doesn’t Canelo possess a high IQ as well?” Kellerman questioned.
“I’m not concerned about any of that,” BoMac replied, sounding irritated.
