Shawn Porter has doubts about Terence Crawford’s ability to absorb Canelo Alvarez’s powerful punches during a full 12-round fight at 168 pounds next year if the fight takes place.
Crawford’s Upcoming Test: Madrimov as Canelo’s Double
Crawford’s Saturday fight with WBA junior middleweight champion Israil Madrimov is seen as a dress rehearsal for Terence against a fighter with a similar physique to Canelo.
Madrimov’s punching power is close to Canelo’s, if not better. If Crawford can execute his punches without imploding, there’s a chance he’ll hold his own next year when he faces Canelo.
The main difference is that Canelo has better hand speed, loads up a lot more and would lead Crawford the entire fight. Madrimov is mostly a hook thrower and won’t be putting constant pressure on Crawford like Canelo will.
Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) has shown he can take weighty punches from powerful 147-pound contenders like Errol Spence and David Avanesyan without getting hurt, but it will be harder for him to take punches from a fighter as powerful as Canelo.
“I’m worried about him taking a punch from Canelo, especially over the course of 12 rounds,” Shawn Porter said Fight Center TVspeaking about his concerns for Terence Crawford if he gets hit demanding by unified super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez in a potential fight in 2025.
If Crawford decides to box and move, he can avoid a lot of Canelo’s weighty punches. The fight would be tedious and disappointing for the fans, but if Crawford only cares about winning the decision, it would be worth it for him.
Historical Precedent: Leonard’s Sugar Ray Strategy
Sugar Ray Leonard took the sheltered option when he fought WBC middleweight champion Marvin Hagler, winning by split decision after twelve rounds in April 1987. Fans praised him for making the jump from 147 to 160 pounds.
Leonard fought in bursts, landing boots-cleaning punches with little power, and the crowd ate it up. Hagler landed the bigger punches throughout the fight, but two judges gave him no points.
The fans didn’t care that it wasn’t a thrilling fight. They thought Leonard had done something great, even though it was a controversial decision and not action-packed. Crawford could have done the same thing; the fans would have given him credit, and Canelo’s legacy would have suffered.
“We know about Canelo, he’s going to sluggish down,” Porter continued of a potential Canelo-Crawford fight. “So I think if anything, Canelo is going to try to start speedy and hit him and break him down before it gets later and he gets that kind of steam going.”
Canelo always starts speedy but is still hazardous, even in the later rounds. It would be great for Crawford to go to war with Canelo instead of following Mayweather’s plan of playing it sheltered, but he’s not someone who does that unless he’s sure he won’t get hurt.
“There are so many elements that make a champion and so many elements that make a great legend,” Porter said. “There’s so much to talk about. It’s a conversation that easily lasts an hour.
“We’re talking about all the ingredients that Terence Crawford has. All the ingredients that Canelo has, and how we figure out how they balance out and who outdoes each other. You know what I mean? We tried to do that with Errol Spence and Terence Crawford and we saw how it went,” Porter said.
Spence looked physically drained last year when he fought Crawford. You could tell from looking at Spence that his sedentary lifestyle between fights, weight gain, lack of activity and two car accidents were sapping everything from him.
Canelo, 34, still has the skills, but they have eroded, too. But his power and boxing IQ are still there. If Crawford gets hit by Canelo, he could be in bad shape. Crawford says he will spar with bigger guys, but he doesn’t mention who they are.
It’s unlikely that either of them will be at Canelo’s level, which means his sparring doesn’t mean he can take the Mexican star’s punches. If this fight is just a scam for Crawford to get his retirement, it doesn’t matter if he loses. He’ll get his golden parachute badge and he’ll be able to finish it.
Lauren Price MBE will defend her world title for the first time on Saturday, December 14 at the Exhibition Center in Liverpool, while the Welsh champion plans to stage an all-British unification clash with welterweight rival Natasha Jonas, which will headline the Collision Course that night.
Price defends her WBA welterweight title against undefeated Colombian challenger Bexcy Mateus on the same night as Jonas attempts to unify the IBF and WBC titles with Ivana Habazin as part of BOXXER’s ‘Collision Course’ fight night, which can be seen live and exclusively on Sky Sports in the UK UK and Ireland and Peacock in the US.
Price MBE (7-0, 1 KO) made history with an excellent performance, defeating former undisputed welterweight world ruler Jessica McCaskill in front of her fans in Cardiff in May.
Price, the first Welsh boxer to win Olympic gold, once again entered the record books by becoming the country’s first world champion in just her seventh professional fight. The 30-year-old from Ystrad Mynach, who has yet to lose a round as a professional, will now defend her world titles for the first time as she focuses on dominating the welterweight division.
Mateus (7-0, 6 KO), ranked No. 5 in the WBA rankings, is undefeated in the professional ranks and has won all but one of her seven fights by knockout. The 29-year-old from Bogota, fighting outside her native Colombia for the first time, will now have her first chance at global fame, with her goal to dethrone Price and take the top spot in the welterweight division.
Lauren Price said: “I’m excited to defend my belts and complete what has been an crucial year for me. I have full respect for Mateusz. I will prove that I am the best in the division and I will not let anything or anyone stand in my way of being undisputed.”
BOXXER Founder and CEO Ben Shalom said: “It’s a massive night for the women’s welterweight division with three world champions competing. Natasha Jonas returns to her hometown for a mandatory unification fight against Ivana Habazin, and Lauren Price defends her world titles against undefeated challenger Bexcy Mateus. The fight for the undisputed continues. If Natasha and Lauren win on December 14, it will set the stage for a massive “Battle Of Britain” world title unification fight next year.
There’s reason to celebrate as BOXXER delivers a Christmas cracker to end the year. In addition to the world championship fights between Natasha Jonas and Lauren Price, fight fans can expect a gala full of drama and entertainment.
Undefeated Irishman Stephen McKenna (15-0, 14 KO) will face English champion Lee Cutler (14-1, 7 KO) in an invigorating super welterweight fight for the silver WBC International title.
McKenna impressed fans in his three-round fight against Joe Laws last August at Oakwell Stadium in Barnsley. The two struck out in the first round, then McKenna began to apply the pressure, losing Laws three more times and maintaining his undefeated record after a third-round stoppage.
English cruiserweight champion Viddal Riley (11-0, 6 KO) returns to action from a rib injury that has kept him out of the ring since a career-best victory over Mikael Lawal in March. Riley will be looking to shake off the ring rust as he takes on high-profile opponents in the recent year.
Undefeated Chorley super middleweight Mark Jeffers (18-0, 5 KO) scored an explosive fifth-round knockout victory over Darren Johnston in May and will be looking to bring more drama to Liverpool’s Exhibition Center as he goes in search of his 19th professional win.
Mason Cartwright (20-4-1, 8 KO) from Cheshire, a former two-time British title challenger from Ellesmere Port, will be counting on local support as he returns to the title track.
After signing a promotional contract with BOXXER, local star Frankie Stringer (8-0, 1 KO) can achieve his third victory in 2024, when he returns in front of his fans in Liverpool. The 23-year-old lightweight fighter is a player of the notable city team Rotunda ABC, and his manager is former world champion Liam Smith.
Mike Tyson will miss his final record-breaking days after becoming the oldest former heavyweight champion to walk through the ring.
“The Baddest Man on the Planet” reached an all-time high in Texas on Friday night, returning from a two-decade absence. However, Tyson gave the achievement five days later to former Lennox Lewis conqueror Oliver McCall.
On Tuesday night at The Troubadour in Nashville, Tennessee, the former WBC heavyweight champion returns to action and will face veteran Stacy Frazier in a fight scheduled for four rounds. At age 59, McCall will set the record for a sanctioned fight, beating Tyson by fourteen months.
McCall was born in April 1965, and Tyson’s mother gave birth to him in June 1966. “The Atomic Bull” hopes to score his 60th career victory tonight. He enters the fight with a record of 59-14, including 38 knockouts.
The Chicago native believes his continued activity over the last 19 years will be what separates his performance on Tuesday night from what Tyson looked like on Friday.
“I’m ready. I’ve been training here in Nashville for a few weeks now, but I’m always in shape,” McCall said. “It will be a completely different match than what the fans saw on Friday.
“I think being lively has a lot to do with it. I haven’t fought in five years because of the pandemic and a few things that didn’t work out.
“If you look at my record, since 2005 I have fought 25 times, of which I have won 19-6 times against quality fighters and won various regional titles.
McCall fights without financial motivation. He sees his fighting days approaching and is already planning his post-retirement plans.
“I want to do this for another year. This means I will be 40 years into my career as a professional boxer. Then I want to train and become a manager. I want to return the favor and assist the next generation of players try to become world champions.
“I came here to Nashville and contacted the manager who took me to the title [Country Box] promoter Jimmy Adams. I’m learning a lot about this aspect of the sport. I love the players here and everything that happens with Country Box.”
The Country Box 25 gala will also feature eight-round fights between super bantamweight Elon DeJesus (8-1-2, 7 KO) and Dominique Griffin (5-7-2, 2 KO), as well as super middleweight fighters. Sean Hemphill (16-2, 10 KO) fights Bryant McClain (6-5-2, 1 KO).
Airy heavyweight Isaac Carbonell (8-0, 5 KO) will face Antonio Louis Hernandez (7-19-4, 4 KO) in six-round fights; Joel Mutombo (6-0, 4 KO) vs. Kevin Torian (3-2, 3 KO) in a cruiserweight fight.
In a four-round fight, Ryan Zempoaltecatl (2-0, 1 KO) will face Raymond Chacon (10-64-1, 2 KO).
IBF world champion Natasha Jonas will face WBC titleholder Ivana Habazin in a huge hometown unification bout on Saturday, December 14 at the Exhibition Center in Liverpool, presented by BOXXER, live and exclusively on Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland and Peacock in the USA.
A win for Jonas will put her on a collision course with Lauren Price MBE, the WBA, IBO and Ring Magazine world champion early next year.
Jonas (15-2-1, 9 KO) will fight for the world title under the BOXXER promotional banner in his hometown of Liverpool for the sixth time in a row.
“Miss GB” Jonas claimed a split decision victory in an epic fight against former world champion Mikaela Mayer, who last appeared at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool in January.
Undefeated in her last six fights, the 40-year-old from Toxteth will now look to consolidate her position at the top of the welterweight division as she bids to become a unified world champion in two weight classes, having previously unified the WBC, WBO and IBF super welterweight world titles.
Habazin (23-6, 7 KO) is the current WBC world champion, who overtook Kinga Magyar in April this year and won the vacant green-gold belt. The 35-year-old from Zagreb, Croatia, who has shared the ring with some of the greatest fighters of the state-of-the-art era, including Cecilia Brækhus and Claressa Shields, is already a former IBF world welterweight champion, as well as a former IBO world middleweight champion.
Natasha Jonas said: “I’m excited to come back and fight another huge world title fight at home in Liverpool. To be given the opportunity to win another world title and unify the IBF and WBC world titles will be special. Ivana Habazin is a great champion. She has won multiple world titles and fought against the best in the world. I expect a tough fight, but I’m ready to prove that I’m number one in the division. With the support of my home fans, there is no way I could lose.
Ivana Habazin said: “It will be an honor for me to unify the WBC and IBF welterweight world titles. I previously held the IBF world title and I’m looking forward to winning the belt again. I have great respect for Natasha. She was a great champion throughout her career. She is one of the greatest players in the sport today and beating her will give me the recognition I have long deserved.
“I’ve visited Liverpool a few times and it’s my favorite city in the UK, so I’m really excited to fight in her hometown. Although it may be winter in Liverpool on December 14, I believe that Natasha and I will provide fans at the arena with much-needed warmth and Christmas cheer. I just hope the judging will be fair and Santa Claus won’t come to give Natasha an early Christmas present.”
BOXXER Founder and CEO Ben Shalom said: “Natasha Jonas returns to her hometown for a major world title unification fight. It’s a champion-on-champion fight in which Natasha faces WBC world champion Ivana Habazin. This is a fight that Natasha must win as she looks to cement her legacy as one of the greatest fighters of her generation. Victory on December 14 could set up more career-defining fights for Natasha, including a massive British world title unification clash with Lauren Price early next year to determine who is number one in the welterweight division.”
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