Will Terence Crawford’s Added Mass Be A Recipe For Disaster Against Canelo Alvarez?

Terence Crawford posted a picture on Instagram today of his transformed body for his title challenge against Canelo Alvarez on September 13.

Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) has slowly been adding muscle to his wiry frame for the last 13 months, and he now resembles a muscular, but still small-boned, super middleweight. The added weight could result in Crawford fading early against Canelo.

“Crawford has to be really careful with those body shots. He can’t get lured into a firefight. He’s going to lose if it’s a back-and-forth type of situation,” said promoter Tom Loeffler to Fighthype about how Terence Crawford must fight Canelo Alvarez.

Terence Crawford one week out from his fight vs. Canelo Alvarez 🔥 #CaneloCrawford

(📸: @terencecrawford) pic.twitter.com/TjSt830BeR

— ESPN Ringside (@ESPNRingside) September 5, 2025

Why Crawford May Feel Forced to Fight

Crawford may feel that he’s got the size and power to stand in front of Canelo to trade. He likely knows from watching Canelo’s past fights that the opposition that have chosen to box him always came up short. Another thing that could force Crawford into a war is that Turki Alalshikh has said he doesn’t want Tom and Jerry fights at his Riyadh Season event.

Crawford may feel like he has no other choice but to exchange with Canelo because of Turki, his mandate, and the massive payday he’s receiving. If a person is paid $50 million, they’re going to feel some sense of obligation to whoever paid them that money. They’ll want to make that person feel glad that they believed in them enough to give them that money.

“He needs to stay on the outside, use his speed, his skills, and box Canelo,” said Loeffler about Crawford. “If he hurts Canelo, then he can go there and go toe-to-toe. But Canelo is the type of guy you really don’t want to stand in front of because he can really start to pick you apart. Both of these guys are going to be well-prepared.”

Crawford stood in front of Israil Madrimov last year, and he appears to hit nearly as hard as Canelo. Granted, Bud Crawford’s face looked beaten up at the end of the fight, but he took everything Madrimov dished out to win a 12-round unanimous decision in their headliner bout on August 3, 2024.

Netflix Streaming is a Great Deal for Fans

“It’s such a big event. Such a big build-up to this event. You’re going to see the best of both of these guys. I think it’s going to be a real treat for the fans to have a huge matchup, and it’s not on PPV,” said Loeffler, talking about Canelo-Crawford being shown on Netflix rather than on pay-per-view.

It’s a great deal for fans not having to pay $60 to $75 to order the fight on PPV. The downside is that fans have shown scant interest in the undercard, which is lacking in big names. It’s filled with prospects with different levels of ability.

“If he can beat Canelo at 168, that’s a huge feather in his cap. You’d have to put him right up there in the top 10,” said Loeffler.

That might be going a little bit far to place Crawford in the top 10 of all-time great fighters if he defeats the 35-year-old Canelo. Who would he replace? In my view, Canelo is too old for this win to give Crawford a top 10 or even top 20 of all-time great list. Crawford’s resume is too weak for him to be placed in the top 10.