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Canelo is not a large guy, he started out at welterweight

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9 months ago

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Image: Spence on Crawford’s Victory: “Canelo’s Not a Big Guy Anyway — He Began at Welterweight”

Errol Spence Jr. says he was not surprised by Terence Crawford’s victory over undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez in the so-called “fight of the century” on September 13, 2025 in Las Vegas.

Inactive former three-division unified welterweight champion Spence claims the 5’7 1/2″ (63-3-2, 39 KO) Canelo began his welterweight career in 2005.

The Massive Four Crawford didn’t fight

It’s not like Crawford jumped two divisions from 154 to 168 to face a real super middleweight with size and youth like the “Massive Four” in this division:

  1. Osleys Iglesias (27 years ancient) 6′ 2″ or 6′ 2½”
  2. Christian Mbilli (30) 5′ 8½” or 5′ 9″
  3. Lester Martinez (30) 5′ 11″
  4. Diego Pacheco (24) 6′ 3″ or 6′ 4″

If Crawford had to face these fighters for four belts at 168, things might have been different for him. However, it is unlikely that he will even decide to make such a move because these are not superstars like Canelo. They are younger, more agile and better suited to the 168-pound weight class than the Mexican star. They haven’t been given a chance yet.

What happens if Crawford is humiliated

The downside of Crawford being beaten by one of these younger fighters would be disastrous for his dreams of climbing boxing’s Mount Rushmore and becoming one of the all-time greats. Facing these types of fighters is what Crawford should be doing if he truly wants to become an all-time champion, but he may not like the result.

Crawford looked good. He looked mighty and carried the weight well. No, I wasn’t shocked. Canelo isn’t a large guy anyway. Canelo started at 147 and finished at 168,” said Errol Spence Fighting Hub TV last Saturday night when asked if he was surprised by Terence Crawford’s victory over Canelo Alvarez last September.

Fighting a real super middleweight would be a completely different experience for Crawford than fighting the diminutive, flat-legged 35-year-old Canelo. It was the perfect situation for Crawford to win the undisputed super middleweight championship against little, ancient and faded Canelo.

“I feel like Crawford weighed 168, 170 or something. So I think it was pretty straightforward for him to get to that weight. He looked good. He handled it well,” Spence said.

In terms of size, Crawford was as large as Canelo and should have fought 168 years ago. It would be compelling to see Crawford fight David Benavidez and David Morrell when they were 168 pounds. Would Crawford do well against either of them? Chris Williams doubts it. They are all bad for him, both in terms of power and youth.

“He’s definitely one of the best,” Errol said when asked if Crawford’s win over Canelo makes him an all-time champion.

Spence is right. Crawford is an all-time great fighter, but he can’t be called No. 1 because he didn’t take the risks needed to get over the top and be among these four on boxing’s Mount Rushmore:

  1. Sugar Ray Robinson
  2. Muhammad Ali
  3. Henry Armstrong
  4. Jo Louis

Mount Rushmore: The test Crawford must pass

Crawford could improve his chances of being an all-time champion in the true sense of the word if he took the risks needed over the next two years to face top-flight predators. However, he is unlikely to do so as the risk of him failing again would be high. When you barely beat Canelo, it’s a signal that you’re not going to be a top-tier fighter.

The fights Crawford should fight to be on the Rushmore of boxing:

  1. David Benavidez
  2. Dmitry Bivol
  3. Jaron Ennis
  4. David Morrell
  5. Osley Iglesias
  6. Artur Beterbiew
  7. Jai Opetaia

Last update: 11/09/2025

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Boxing

Usyk Analyzes Anthony Joshuas Performance Against Kristian Prenga After Overcoming Two Knockdowns

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19 hours ago

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July 25, 2026

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"Usyk Analyzes Anthony Joshua's Performance Against Kristian Prenga After Overcoming Two Knockdowns"

Oleksandr Usyk has shared his reaction to Anthony Joshua‘s dramatic knockout victory against Kristian Prenga.

Usyk nearly suffered his own shock defeat in May when he was pushed to the limit by kickboxing star Rico Verhoevenand two months on it was nrw teammate Joshua’s turn to come close to a massive upset loss that would have stunned the heavyweight division.

The Brit was dropped twice by massive underdog Prenga in the opening round of their clash in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Saturday, but ‘AJ’ managed to recover and record a big knockdown of his own in the second round that resulted in the stoppage victory.

Joshua and Usyk now train together, having famously had two battles for the unified world heavyweight title in 2021 and 2022, and the Ukrainian has had his say on his stablemate’s victory over Prenga.

Speaking to TalkSporttwo-time undisputed champion Usyk praised Joshua, insisting ‘AJ is back’ before predicting that Joshua will now claim a knockout win over long-term rival Tyson Fury in his next bout.

“Anthony Joshua is next undisputed champion. First round it’s a test but AJ is back.

It’s boxing, [the] big upper cut is good, it’s a knockdown. AJ [come] back and win.

“Greedy Belly [Fury] will speak now and say weak chin, Greedy Belly get out. AJ wins [against Fury], [he will] knock him out.”

Fury was victorious on Friday as he earned a seventh round retirement win against Mariusz Wach in Thailand, paving the way for the showdown against Joshua later this year.

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Jake Paul Reacts to Anthony Joshuas Stunning Victory Over Kristian Prenga After Two Early Knockdowns

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21 hours ago

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July 25, 2026

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"Jake Paul Reacts to Anthony Joshua's Stunning Victory Over Kristian Prenga After Two Early Knockdowns"

Jake Paul was the last man to fight Anthony Joshua and he has now revealed his verdict on AJ’s chaotic victory over Kristian Prenga.

Joshua went up against Prenga in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Saturdayin a clash that was expected to be a comfortable win for the former world heavyweight champion in order to set up the long overdue battle against Tyson Fury.

Any hopes of seeing that clash were nearly ended after AJ was dropped twice in the opening round of the bout, though he was able to recover and claim the second round knockout to come out on top and prevent a stunning shock upset from taking place.

Saturday’s outing saw Joshua back in the ring for the first time since his sixth round triumph over YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul back in Decemberand now ‘The Problem Child’ himself has shared his reaction to his former rival’s victory over Prenga.

Posting on social mediaPaul praised AJ for earning the win, after returning to action following the tragic car crash he was involved in at the end of last year which took the lives of his two close friends.

“Happy for Joshua with that win after all he’s been through. Remembering Sina and Latz with this one.”

The win for Joshua should now tee up for meeting with Fury later this year, after ‘The Gypsy King’ held up his end of the bargain by also securing a win in his warm-up bout on Friday, securing a seventh round retirement win against Mariusz Wach.

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Boxing

Tony Bellew Reviews Anthony Joshuas Comeback Victory Over Kristian Prenga After Knockdown Drama

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21 hours ago

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July 25, 2026

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Tony Bellew Reviews Anthony Joshua's Comeback Victory Over Kristian Prenga After Knockdown Drama

Anthony Joshua may have earned a knockout win over Kristian Prenga but the fight certainly didn’t unfold as most people expected.

Joshua was facing the Albanian in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Saturday, and it looked like a massive upset could be on the cards when he was dropped twice in the opening round.

‘AJ’ was able to recover and went on to secure a second round knockout victory to prevent the shock lossseemingly paving the way for the battle against Tyson Fury later this year.

One man who was ringside to witness the battle was former cruiserweight world champion Tony Bellewand he praised Joshua’s ability to turn things around in the fight after describing it as ‘chaos’.

“We predicted round two but I don’t think we foresaw that. That was chaos. He doesn’t see the uppercut coming and finds himself on the floor without knowing how he got there.

“The second one he did see it coming and he was able to clench down on the jaw. He got up and then the experience that he has he used tonight because he tied him up. Against Andy Ruiz he didn’t know what he was doing and didn’t know how to do that, but tonight he did.

“He showed once again there is no quit. To be that hurt in the first round and get up, that’s the recoveries of power. People talk about your chin, but it’s not, it’s the level of fitness that gets you up from the floor.

“When Joshua gets a fighter hurt he’s the best finisher in the division. Whenever he hurts someone they’re gone. I haven’t seen him drop anybody and they survive, only Andy Ruiz. He’s a ruthless finisher.”

The clash between Joshua and Fury is now expected to be announced soon for later this year, after Fury won his own interim fight on Friday by defeating Mariusz Wach.

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