Canelo Alvarez facing pound-for-pound king Terence Crawford at a catchweight would hinge on what came out of the negotiations with what they wanted.
That’s the view of experienced boxing man Jim Lampley. The former HBO commentator, who returned to the microphone for Canelo vs Jermell Charlo, believes gaining pre-fight advantages is all important.
Crawford campaigns at 147 pounds but is contemplating a move up 154. Meanwhile, Canelo is a 168 but can fluctuate between 160 and 175.
This means there’s some scope for a catchweight despite the problems surrounding title belts.
Canelo vs. Terence Crawford
Canelo holds all four at super middleweight. At the same time, Crawford has the undisputed crown at welterweight. How that situation is worked out would merely come down to the weight stipulation.
Lampley sees Crawford having a solid chance in the fight if he doesn’t allow Canelo to maintain his status quo of dictating contract points in his favor.
“Terence Crawford is great. Physically, he’s a terrific fighter. He’s ambidextrous. He has power and craft. He’s very confident. But what sets him apart is his competitive mean streak,” Lampley told Sports Illustrated.
“Ray Leonard had one. So did Sugar Ray Robinson. He’d have a lot of advantages [over Canelo].
“On the other hand, Canelo, because of his long career and because of the number of times he’s appeared at 168, or even 175, can see himself as the larger man.
Important negotiations
“If he can force the fight to take place at a weight he likes better. Like 168. So, the [weight class] equation by which the fight is negotiated is extremely important.
“That’s part of what’s on the table for Canelo going into this fight again. What’s left for Canelo in boxing? Get back to pound-for-pound number one.”
Crawford overtook Oleksandr Usyk and Naoya Inoue with a victory over Errol Spence Jr. that demanded respect for his record.
Currently, at number four, Canelo has not held the top spot since losing to Dmitry Bivol in May 2022.
Wins over Charlo, his brother Jermall, or even David Benavidez won’t be enough for Canelo to overhaul Crawford. But for now, Canelo is tied to Premier Boxing Champions through a lucrative contract.
This means Crawford is off the menu because he decided not to sign with Al Haymon. Canelo can only choose from Haymon’s roster, meaning Canelo vs. Crawford is far from straightforward.
It’s a tough spot for Canelo as he needs to beat others in the P4P Top 10 to gain traction. The only opponent who can give him any boost in the ratings is Dmitry Bivol, who is just behind Canelo at number five.
Phil Jay is an experienced boxing news writer.
Editor of World Boxing News since 2010.
