Former Mike Tyson trainer Teddy Atlas doesn’t believe Canelo Alvarez’s victory over Callum Smith deserves to go above Terence Crawford’s triumph over Kell Brook.
Firstly, Atlas says Crawford is the pound-for-pound number one fighter on the planet. And secondly, Canelo’s one-sided win over a lineal champion is not good enough to overtake him.
The consensus around the world, a view shared by both WBN and CBS, is that Canelo is firmly the top dog in boxing.
MIKE TYSON COACH
According to Atlas, who mentored a young Mike Tyson in the 1980s, Canelo merely exposed Smith and should sit second behind Crawford until he fights a better opponent.
“I’m not going to move a guy who beat someone who he was supposed to beat, a guy who was exposed,” Teddy Atlas told ESPN from his position as a P4P panel member.
“He’s going to stay right where he belongs. Crawford hasn’t done anything to lose his position.”
At the same time, Eric Raskin disagrees with Atlas.
He said: “Coming off his performance this one-sided against an opponent this credible, I think the time has come to elevate Canelo over a Crawford.
“Crawford hasn’t seemed motivated to prove his greatness since moving up to 147 pounds.”
Raskin’s view is undoubtedly a widely shared one if you look at both fighters’ respective resumes.
Canelo is a four-weight king and the biggest name in the sport. His last two opponents alone are more than enough to overhaul Crawford.
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In December, the Mexican superstar moved up in weight to take out former top ten pound-for-pounder Sergey Kovalev. He then followed that up by defeating a bonafide world title-holder in Smith.
Crawford, for his money, defeated a far-faded Kell Brook in April. Before that, the unproven ‘Mean Machine’ Egidijus Kavaliauskas.
What part of those two victories does Crawford earn a place above Canelo? Maybe Atlas is placing ‘Bud’ at the helm on the back of his undisputed reign at 140?
Well, newsflash. That was over three years ago, and Crawford hasn’t faced any welterweight in the top five yet.
Opinions are respected. But it’s not rocket science.
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