Canelo To KO Crawford, Says Hamzah Sheeraz

Hamzah Sheeraz believes the two-division weight jump will be too much for Terence Crawford to win against undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez on September 13th. Sheeraz predicts Canelo (63-2-2, 39 KOs) will score a “late stoppage” of Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs).

Crawford’s inactivity over the last five years will impact his performance, says Sheeraz. A fighter can’t be as inactive as he has been and go up against an elite-level fighter like Canelo.

Hamzah believes that Canelo has seen a lot of different styles during his long career, and he won’t be bothered by Crawford’s skill set. It’s one that he’s seen before by other fighters, some of them bigger, stronger, and far younger than the 38-year-old.

Canelo KO? Sheeraz Explains His Pick

“I think Canelo wins by knockout by late stoppage. Crawford is a generational talent and an elite fighter, but I feel there are weight classes for a reason,” said Hamzah Sheeraz to Secondsout, predicting a victory for Canelo Alvarez over Terence Crawford on September 13th. “Crawford said it himself in an interview a couple of years ago. Obviously, when there’s a lot more money on the table, that changes, doesn’t it?”

A lot depends on if Crawford tries to win by fighting aggressively rather than playing it safe, jabbing, throwing single shots, and moving all night. If Crawford tries to win by going to war with Canelo, he’ll get knocked out.

Terence will likely play it safe and box like he did in his last fight against Israil Madrimov. Crawford didn’t take any chances in that fight after getting a feel for Madrimov’s power. That made the fight boring to watch, and it was the least entertaining of the loaded card last August in Los Angeles.

“He’s [Canelo] been in with all the styles. He was up there with Bivol, and he’s one of the most elite 175-pounders there are. Canelo is a natural 160, 168-pounder. So, for him to go up there and do it, I don’t think the skill set of Crawford will bother him either,” said Hamzah.

Canelo has experience from fighting Bivol, Floyd Mayweather Jr., and Erislandy Lara. These are all fighters with whom Crawford has similarities in some ways. William Scull is faster, bigger, stronger, and more mobile than Crawford. Alvarez dealt with Scull’s style pretty well. Scull is also a better combination puncher than Crawford.

When Scull did throw, his punches were blindingly fast. He was the perfect opponent to prepare Canelo for the fight against Crawford.

Why Crawford’s Layoff Matters

“I don’t think it could be. It will be, especially fighting at this elite level,” said Sheeraz about Crawford fighting only once a year for five consecutive years since 2020. “He’ll understand what he’s up against. Someone he hasn’t been in the ring with before and an elite-level fighter that Canelo is. It’ll be an interesting one, but I still stick with what I said.”

It’ll be the first for Crawford in a lot of things. This will be his first fight at 168 and his first ever against an elite-level fighter during his 17-year career. Crawford, 38, will be making his first appearance in 2025 after taking a year off on an extended break after his win over Israil Madrimov in 2024.

Is Crawford Ready for Canelo?

Many people are second-guessing Terence’s decision to sit on the shelf for a year rather than move up to 168 to fight once or twice to get adjusted to the new weight class. It’s a division jump for Crawford.

It would have been wise for him to get some experience before facing King Canelo. Most would agree that Crawford was afraid of losing or looking bad, and Turki Alalshikh changed his mind about wanting to give him the Canelo fight.