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Crawford bitter after losing chance to fight Canelo

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Image: Crawford Bitter After Losing Canelo Fight Opportunity

A disgruntled Terence Crawford today vented his frustration over the loss of huge man Canelo Alvarez.

Crawford believes unified super middleweight champion Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) doesn’t want to fight him because he fears for his legacy if he loses. He would look bad in front of his fans if he was defeated by someone flashier who started his career at 135.

Canelo’s Financial Demands

His Excellency Turki Alalshikh decided that he did not want to continue trying to make a fight between Canelo and Crawford because the Mexican star was asking for a lot of money. The fight was set at $150 million, the amount Canelo was asking for.

From Canelo’s perspective, when you hear that Tyson Fury was paid more than $100 million to fight Oleksandr Usyk in their first fight last May and likely significantly more for the rematch on December 21, the $150 million that Canelo is asking for doesn’t seem irrational.

It is Turki Alalshikha’s prerogative not to pay Canelo the requested price for the Crawford fight, but one can understand why he is asking for such a sum. Canelo-Crawford is a much bigger fight in the US than Fury-Usyk. But if Turki really wants Canelo vs. Crawford, he will pay him.

Impact of Crawford’s Recent Results

We don’t know if Turki has scrapped plans for a fight between the two because of Crawford’s unimpressive win over WBA junior middleweight champion Israil Madrimov last Saturday night in Los Angeles, where Crawford narrowly won a fight against a fighter who lacked Canelo’s power, attack and talent.

Crawford’s reaction time to punches seemed snail-paced. He took a lot of tough punches, and his power wasn’t at 154. His punches were in the lower 147-pound spectrum. So if Crawford can’t punch at 154, he’ll have trouble at 168.

Crawford getting beaten by Canelo won’t stop Turki from fighting because the fight would have happened anyway. However, when Canelo wipes out Crawford, the fans will be furious and feel cheated.

Who are they going to blame? The guy who organized the fight, Turki. Now he knows Crawford has no chance against Canelo. So it makes sense for him to back out of trying to make that fight.

“That was my motivation,” Terence Crawford said on Sean Zittel’s show Youtube channel about how Canelo Alvarez got motivated to continue his career after his victory over Israil Madramimov last Saturday night.

Crawford said his motivation was to fight Canelo after the Madrimov fight, but that is no longer possible and he is not content.

“It’s crazy and it makes me laugh when Canelo says in the media that he won’t get any credit,” but Canelo fought smaller fighters his entire career as Crawford.

Canelo with little advantage

It’s unclear whether Crawford is pretending not to understand Canelo’s reasons for not fighting him. If so, Canelo will not receive credit for the win and will be vilified by the entire promotion.

If Crawford is a little competitive, he comes out as the hero, while Canelo gets knocked down. You don’t hear Crawford saying he wants to fight lightweights like Gervonta Davis and Shakur Stevenson because he knows the boxing public would laugh at him if he tried to fight those guys. They’re a lot smaller.

It is not true that Canelo has fought smaller guys throughout his career. Here are some examples of Canelo’s fights with bigger guys:

– Dmitry Bivol
– Sergei Kovalev
-Jaime Munguia
-James Kirkland

“Canelo has been creating his own soft-weight division for years. He’s fought the smaller Mayweather,” Crawford said. “Canelo’s fought the smaller Amir Khan and Jermel Charlo. I’m pretty sure he hasn’t made as much money as all those guys, except Mayweather. Even Berlanga now, like he would against me, and he still has a lot of excuses for why he doesn’t want to fight me.”

Crawford was bigger than many of his opponents when he fought at 135 and 140. He was always bigger than his opponents in those two weight classes and used his size. Crawford is an A-1 hypocrite when he says Canelo has fought smaller guys his entire career when he himself did the same thing.

“When it comes to business, you’re doing good business. I heard him say I was simple work. If I was simple, you’d take all the money he [Turki Alalshikh] offers you, but he wants $200 million to fight Benavidez and $150 million to fight me,” Crawford said.

If His Excellency won’t give Canelo the $150 million he allegedly asked for, you can’t blame him for not wanting to fight Crawford. He thinks the fight is worth that much. If Turki doesn’t want to pay, that’s his business. Instead of getting mad at Canelo, Crawford should ask Turki why he didn’t want to put up the money for the fight.

“It just lets me know that I’m a threat to him. I’m a threat to him and a threat to his legacy, because it would be crazy for a guy [Crawford] it started at 135 and went up to your weight [168]. Your weight, not your final weight, no, none of that, and I’ll dethrone you,” Crawford said.

Canelo doesn’t see Crawford as a threat to his legacy because he’s too delicate and not robust enough to fight a fighter as robust as he is. For Crawford to have a chance against Canelo, he would need the size and strength of Gennady Golovkin. He doesn’t have that. He’s feeble and not adolescent, he turns 37 in September.

“So he has it in the back of his mind. “This guy [Crawford talking in the third person]”First of all, he’s tough. Second of all, he’s a boxer. He moves, he can punch, he can do everything. I can’t slip up and lose to this little guy. What are my fans going to think of me? What are my Mexican fans going to think of me?'” Crawford said of Canelo.

It’s a no-win situation for Canelo to fight an aging 154-pounder like Crawford, who came off a needy performance in a fight many fans thought he lost to Madrimov. That’s probably Canelo’s fear. It’s a no-win situation for Canelo, just like if Crawford decided to fight super bantamweight Naoya Inoue.

“It’s a huge risk for him, like he said. There’s nothing in it. None of these guys were the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world that he fought when they came up in weight. None of these guys,” Crawford said.

Being a so-called pound-for-pound fighter doesn’t mean anything in terms of money. If Crawford wants to call himself a pound-for-pound fighter, that’s great, but he’s not attractive and he’s not a huge PPV attraction.

The only people who follow pound-for-pound rankings are ultra-hardcore fansAverage fans don’t look at these ratings to decide whether to buy a fight on PPV.

“He wasn’t getting the guaranteed amount of money that was thrown at him for those guys that he’s getting against me,” Crawford said of Canelo’s previous fights. “That shows a level of respect. I look at it as respect that he shows me. I don’t look at it as disrespect.”

This shows that Canelo has a price he is asking for and His Excellency is clearly not interested in paying him the amount he wants. With an estimated net worth of $250 million, Canelo now has enough money to ask for a price for a specific fight. If he doesn’t get it, it’s not a huge deal because he has a lot of other fighters he can fight and still make good money.

Canelo’s Perception of Crawford

“I take that as the level of respect he has for me as a fighter. Right now, I’m still doing what I’m doing,” Crawford said when asked if he would retire and leave the game rather than stay.

Canelo probably sees Crawford as an aging, smaller fighter with a lifeless Mayweather-like fighting style looking for golden parachute payday that will assist him survive his retirement years. Alvarez said he saw Madrimov as the true winner of their fight.

He believes Crawford should have lost the fight to Madrimov, as do many boxing fans. It doesn’t assist that Canelo fights Crawford, who won controversially.

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Boxing

Tyson’s conqueror, Danny Williams, was “never considered” for Morrison

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Kenzie Morrison Danny Williams

World Boxing News has learned that Danny Williams was never considered for a fight against Tommy Morrison’s son Kenzie on November 9.

WBN has learned from a source that Williams was scheduled to face Morrison next month when he returns to action at Firelake Arena in Shawnee. However, promoter Tony Holden confirmed what WBN initially reported, namely that Williams had been offered for the fight.

BoxRec also briefly placed Williams within Morrison’s record on November 9, before removing the former British champion. Williams famously knocked out Mike Tyson in 2004, but has since lived off his victory despite losing his British license more than a decade ago.

Holden, who represents Morrison and is looking for an opponent for the competition in three weeks, explained the situation exclusively to WBN.

“I never confirmed William’s story and I never considered him,” Holden said. “I said no when a local promoter suggested it.”

Williams, 51, last fought in August 202, losing for the 33rd time in his career. With 88 professional fights under his belt, Williams seems unable to turn down a payday despite his advanced age.

Morrison, a power puncher who has stopped 19 of his 21 wins, will look for his next conquest elsewhere. The fight with Mike Balogun remains on the table for 2025 after it was postponed from its original October date.

Balogun, who knocked out Kenzi’s brother Trey in the first round, claimed Morrison was pulled from the fight to spare him the loss.

Holden denies this view.

“Even though this post isn’t up to my standards, I’m going to write it anyway. Mike Balogun falsely claimed that I pulled Kenzie Morrison out of the fight because I was afraid he would lose. Please allow me to correct you, Mr. Balogun,” he stated.

“The decision was not made by Kenzie. Let’s raise the stakes and make it fascinating. If you emerge victorious this month, Kenzie will fight in November.

“We may decide this early next year. If your confidence remains unshaken, we can place a significant bet. Watch Kenzie take revenge on her brother and end your career.

Balogun, a former San Francisco 49ers linebacker, responded to Holden by increasing his salary for a potential collision next year.

“No matter how fair and honorable your decision was, just remember that ‘yesterday’s price is not today’s price,’” said the 2010 undrafted pick.

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Andrew Moloney is confident that if given the chance, he would have beaten Phumelele Cafu and Kosei Tanaka

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Andrew Moloney (left) attacks Pedro Guevara – photo: Mikey Williams/Top Rank

Few people were more disappointed than Andrew Moloney when Kosei Tanaka lost his WBO super flyweight belt to Phumelele Cafu at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan on Monday night.

The 33-year-old Australian veteran was hoping to get a shot at beating Tanaka in the lucrative Japanese market.

Those dreams were dashed when South Africa’s Cafu delivered the performance of his life, knocking out Tanaka in the fifth round and finishing the fight strongly, beating the four-weight world champion by split decision.

“The plan was to target the WBO and really chase the Tanaka fight, but it all fell apart on Monday night,” Moloney (26-4-1NC, 16 KO) told The Ring. “I think the WBO is probably still the direction we go, but I’m not sure if they have a rematch clause or if Tanaka will take it. But after watching the fight yesterday, I would be really confident that I could fight one of these guys and win. We would like to follow this path.

“I would love to fight Tanaka in Japan as a four-division world champion. He’s definitely someone I’ve looked up to and wanted to fight for a long time.

“Last night was a little hard to watch. The way he performed, I’m more confident than ever that I have what it takes to beat Tanaka.

I assume there will be a rematch and I hope that Tanaka will regain the belt and I will be able to return to the ring and climb the rankings, and maybe this fight will still happen.

Tanaka entered Moloney’s orbit four years ago when he debuted at 115 pounds. Earlier this year, it looked like they were also on a collision course, with Moloney being number one in the WBO rankings. However, when an offer was made for the vacant IBF lightweight title fight between Vasily Lomachenko and George Kambosos Jr. in May in Perth, Western Australia, Moloney felt he couldn’t turn her down.

This decision ended in disaster. Moloney faced Carlos Cuadras, who withdrew from the fight with a ruptured Achilles tendon and was replaced by Pedro Guevara. Moloney entered the fight with a torn bicep and was largely reduced to boxing with one hand, which circumscribed his punching power.

Still, Moloney felt he did more than enough to win, and was shocked when Guevara was declared the winner by split decision. He was so disappointed that he announced immediately after the fight that he was leaving the ring, but a few days later he withdrew these comments.

It was a breakthrough moment in his career.

“Looking back, it’s a wonderful thing, but watching the Tanaka-Cafu fight made me think that maybe I would do a lot of things if I could turn back time a little bit,” Moloney explained.

“Before my last fight, I was number one in the WBO rankings and I rejected the option of waiting to fight Tanaka. But the opportunity arose to fight Guevara in Australia for the interim WBC title on a major card, and to be candid, I kind of regretted that the Tanaka fight was hanging in the balance, but ultimately we decided to stay busy and take the opportunity to fight in Australia.

“Also, the injury before the fight was another thing I thought about: will I undergo surgery, keep the top spot and wait for Tanaka, but I made the decision to go ahead with the fight with Guevara. Looking back now, maybe it wasn’t the smartest thing to do. And looking at the way Tanaka fought last night, I thought maybe I should have waited. I’m sure I could beat Tanaka and take the belt away from him.

“So I take some consolation, but unfortunately you can’t turn back time.”

It’s been a frustrating year for Moloney, but he’s still hitting the gym and his team is working to get him another fight. The window of opportunity to box again this year is closing quickly, but he still hopes to return to the ring in December, most likely in his native Australia.

“I really hope so,” he said. “That’s what I’ve been working on. I have been training strenuous at the gym for some time, quite a few months. I hope to return before the end of the year.

“At this stage it will probably be December. I’m trying to block something, but so far no luck. I’m still training away as if the fight was to take place in December, the team is currently working on it and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that we’ll be able to finish it.

“I just hope we can get out before the end of the year, get back into the winner’s circle and start climbing the rankings again.”

Moloney, who fought at bantamweight for the first three years of his professional career before dropping down to super flyweight, surprisingly, said he would even consider moving up to another weight class given the right opportunity.

“It’s a tough time in the super flyweight division,” said Moloney, the eighth challenger to The Ring’s 115-pound title. “There’s a lot going on and it’s always strenuous to plan which route to take because everything changes so quickly. I’d pick Bam Rodriguez to beat Guevara, then there’s talk of a rematch between Kazuto Ioka and Fernando Martinez on Up-to-date Year’s Eve. And then there’s talk of Bama, if they win, fighting the winner of that game in unification. The WBO seems to me the fastest way to win the title, so that’s the path we will follow.

“We have also rejected for some time the idea of ​​moving up to flyweight and getting crack there. There’s also some engaging scene going on there right now, but it’s still uncertain. I’d probably feel a little better at super flyweight, but we’ll have to wait and see what happens with Cafu and Tanaka, but like I said, I’d feel comfortable and confident against either of them, so hopefully he can make it it will happen sooner rather than later.”

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Doubts that fuel 19-year-old Benjamin Johnson

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Despite an impressive amateur resume, welterweight Benjamin Johnson of Springdale, Maryland, enters the professional ring with a shoulder injury.

Johnson will face Kevin Pantoja in a four-round fight at Rosecroft Raceway in Fort Washington, Maryland, promoted by his trainer Lamont Roach Snr’s NoXcuses Promotions. The fight will be broadcast on Saturday on ProBox TV.

Johnson, 1-0 (1 KO), spent just 2:23 in the ring in his professional debut, displaying the quick, aggressive hands that won him multiple national titles. However, 19-year-old Johnson feels an advantage, believing he is being overlooked by his NoXcuses Boxing Gym teammates.

Pantoja, 1-1, 27, has never stopped being a professional – Johnson aims to change that.

“People underestimate me,” Johnson said. “It’s been like that since I was an amateur.”

He added that this underestimation increases his motivation in the gym. Johnson is determined to prove his worth not only to himself, but also to those who doubt him or, worse, don’t recognize him. “I never felt like I was recognized as that guy, so I feel like I’m underappreciated,” Johnson said of his amateur and now professional career.

Johnson sees the fight as a key step in his career, compared to feared forward David Benavidez by some teammates and touted by others as one of the most ready-to-fight prospects in the country.

“I train as much as I can,” Johnson said. “It’s about making a statement. The way you win shows people what you’re capable of, and I’m ready to show my best.

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