Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero doesn’t give Terence Crawford any chance of beating Canelo Alvarez at 168 in May 2025.
Crawford’s Weight Jump
Former WBA light welterweight champion Rolly believes that Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) won’t be able to handle the big weight jump, going from 154 to 168, against a fighter with the size, power, and talent of unified super middleweight champion Canelo (62-2-2, 39 KOs).
Fans would better gauge Craword’s chances against Canelo if he showed some initiative by entertaining the 168 division and fighting the highest-ranking contender.
With David Benavidez and David Morrell Jr having given up in the 168-lb division after being treated like a cup of poison by Canelo, they’ve moved up to 175, leaving a rag-tag bunch of lesser fighters. But even the beatable contenders vying for Canelo’s throne would be hard work for a 37-year-old Crawford in a division he’s not physically suited to.
“If Terence Crawford moves up to fight Canelo, it’s going to be a worse fight than [Jermell] Charlo running around [in his clash against Alvarez in September 2023]. I’m going to tell you straight up and all this stuff. Canelo by murder against Crawford. That s*** wouldn’t happen. They have weight classes for a reason,” said Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero @TheSchmo312.
Crawford’s Motivation: Money, Not Glory
One sees that Crawford isn’t too worried about losing to Canelo. It’s the payday that he wants. Crawford isn’t going to get that kind of money fighting anyone else, and he’s got one foot out the door into retirement.
Crawford has got to know that if he sticks around for much longer, he will begin losing, getting beaten up, and being knocked out by the younger lions. It’s inevitable.
For Crawford to get the type of money he wants, he will be forced to fight increasingly better competition, and that’s not good for him, given his age and the fact that he fights only annually.
Crawford lucked out that His Excellency Turki Alalshikh was willing to pay him a ton of money to fight WBA junior middleweight champion Ismail Madrimov on a loaded card in a Riyadh Season event on August 3rd at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.
Without Turki’s involvement, no promoter on earth would pay Crawford a lot of money to fight Madrimov. That fight doesn’t sell without a massive undercard and the huge promotion that His Excellency is putting into it.