Promoter Oscar de la Hoya doubts that Terenka Crawford will be able to defeat the united champion of super medium weight, Canelo Alvarez when he moves on two divisions to challenge him for his lanes on September 13. De la Hoya states that “a good little man” “never beat a good large man.”
(Loan: Melanie Pizano/Matchroom)
Fighters who defeated larger guys:
Sugar Ray Robinson
Roy Jones Jr.
Sugar Ray Leonard
Manny Pacquiao
Too much jump?
Crawford (41-0, 31 KO) is achieving this feat, because he will basically move three classes of weight after a delicate performance in his debut in August 154 against Israil Madrimov. This fight was close enough to be a draw, but the judges gave it to Crawford and you can understand why. He was a page A.
Crawford’s reluctance to fight in 160 or 168 to remain busy and prove that he is another reason why he does not intend to defeat Canelo. Terenka apparently paired with warriors in these weight classes and knows that it would be a bad idea to compete with one of these killers before he started fighting Canelo.
“I have been in this game for so long and I like to say that I am a historian. There has never been a good little man who beats a good vast man. It did not happen,” said Oscar de la Hoya Warrior When asked about his thoughts whether Terenka Crawford can transfer two classes of weight to defeat Canelo Alvarez in super middle weight.
“Pacquiao can defeat me an exception, but this situation was completely different. I was at the end of my career, I was a warrior, and Pacquiao came, and he defeated me. But a good little man who is Crawford, never defeated a good large man who would be Canelo in the history of this sport.”
Crawford’s age
Of course, many fighters have moved many divisions to defeat larger fighters in the past. What makes Crawford’s task more problematic for him is his advanced age, inaction and lack of impact strength. Bud will be 38 years elderly in September; He looks it. What’s more, Crawford fights only once a year since 2020 and releases from 13 months of release.
The fighter can escape from this kind of inaction when they are younger or fight with a smaller opposition, but when they age, and move and fight with someone good, they lose. Maybe Crawford doesn’t care if he will be beaten. He was in advance about one of the reasons why he wants to fight Alvarez so much. It’s money.
Crawford, from Nebrask, can nowhere near the same type of cake fighting at the age of 154, and some guys in this weight class threw him off the fries. Guys such as Bakhram Murtazaliev, Vergil Ortiz Jr., Sebastian Fundor and Serhia Bohachuk would elderly Crawford. If he fights only once a year, he would never fight even half of these guys before he was defeated.
“If Crawford can do this, give this man the title”The largest in history. This is probably motivation for Crawford and his trainer. “Look, if you can beat Canelo, you can go down as one of the historical best fighters in the world.” This is sufficient motivation for every warrior. I just don’t consider it a warrior.
“Canelo is a great blow. Yes, he goes to Quicksand, and this is one thing that Crawford can apply against him. The pressure of a heavier guy. Canelo will be 200 pounds on this ring. So it’s a complex fight, but I will admit Crawford if he pulls it out,” said De la Hoya.
Shopnonn Canelo?
De la Hoya exaggerates with what Crawford would have achieved if he defeated 35-year-old Canelo Alvarez soon. Terenka would not be “the greatest in history” if he defeated Canelo, because the Mexican star has been disappearing over the last three years and has not fought from 2022.
If Crawford defeated this faded version of Canelo, he would only beat a guy who would probably lose many times if he fought with the best 168 pounds instead of avoiding them. Canelo twisted the former super medium-sized weight of David Benavidez and David Morrella, and now he is clearly avoided the best 168-pushers.
Crawford’s victory against Alvarez would only prove what boxing fans already know: Canelo is above the hill. That is why he does not want to fight real killers at the age of 168 and why he avoided Benavidez and Morrell when they were in the division.
Canelo Alvarez got his hands on the WBC super-middleweight title once again as he dethroned Christian Mbilli on Saturday night, and now the reigning WBC Interim champion has revealed his keenness to take on the Mexican superstar.
Alvarez lost his undisputed title to Terence Crawford last September, whilst Christian Mbilli defended his WBC Interim title in a draw against Lester Martinez in the co-main event.
When Crawford retired from the sport and relinquished his titles, Mbilli was elevated to full world champion and an immediate target was placed on his back, with Canelo eager to regain his title – which he did with a unanimous decision win on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Martinez – who is trained by Crawford coach Brian McIntyre and has sparred the pound-for-pound great on many occasions – has since been named as the WBC Interim champion and has defended that belt with triumphs over Immanuwel Aleem and Luka Plantic during 2026.
Following Canelo’s win over Mbilli, Martinez told Izquierdazo Boxeo that it is his ‘dream’ to take on the four-division world champion in a bid for the full WBC super-middleweight crown.
“My dream now is to fight Canelo because he is the champion.”
Alvarez is believed to have one fight left on his deal with Riyadh Season and is already being linked to a return to action in the spring.
Whilst Martinez will hope to soon be mandated as Alvarez’s opponent, David Benavidez famously had no such luck when pursuing a showdown with Canelo whilst he reigned as the WBC Interim titleholder.
Instead, Canelo is hoping to secure a mammoth rematch with Crawforddespite the American’s retirement.
On Halloween night, Canelo Alvarez defeated Christian Mbilli to become a three-time super-middleweight world champion, and now the question is: outside of Terence Crawford, can any other boxer defeat Canelo at 168?
When Christian Mbilli entered the ring to face Canelo Alvarez, a reasonable number of boxing pundits thought Mbilli was going to pull off the upset. Alvarez has a history of stamina issues, and many assumed Mbilli could take advantage.
The idea was for Mbilli to overwhelm Canelo with his high-volume punching, wear him down, take over in the later rounds, and win a close decision. Unfortunately for Mbilli, the bout didn’t go that way.
Canelo Alvarez was able to dictate the range and the pace of the fight. Canelo’s defense was sharp, his stamina was good, and on offense he dominated the action with skillful counterpunching and pinpoint accuracy.
Mbilli fought the wrong type of fight, as most of the bout took place at mid-range as opposed to close quarters. Mbilli gave Canelo too much respect, and on multiple occasions he looked confused.
Christian Mbilli was severely outclassed, and because of that, the fight looked like a glorified sparring session. As a result of the bout, Canelo Alvarez (64-3-2, 39 KOs) is the new WBC super-middleweight world champion.
The sport of boxing is based on levels, and on the night of October 31st, Canelo Alvarez proved he was levels above Christian Mbilli. Now fight fans are wondering: are any of the current top super-middleweights close to being on Canelo’s level?
Terence “Bud” Crawford defeated Canelo Alvarez with his skill set and his ring IQ. None of the top super-middleweights have a skill set compatible with Crawford’s, and none of them come close to Crawford when it comes to ring intelligence.
With that being said, one would ask, outside of a rematch with Crawford, what would be the ideal fight for Canelo at 168? If Terence Crawford can’t be convinced to come out of retirement, then Hamzah Sheeraz is probably the best candidate.
The former WBO world champion Hamzah Sheeraz is a 6-foot-3-inch super-middleweight who is skilled, and he can effectively fight from long range. On Halloween night, Sheeraz was ringside analyzing the fight.
Back in July 2025, Hamzah Sheeraz looked sharp as he stopped Edgar Berlanga in the 5th round. A year later, Sheeraz had a lackluster performance, as he scored a majority decision victory over Simon Zachenhuber.
Now Hamzah Sheeraz (24-0-1, 19 KOs) appears to be the frontrunner in regards to facing Canelo in 2027. If Sheeraz doesn’t get the match, then Canelo may choose to fight one of the other champions at 168.
Lester Martinez would give Canelo Alvarez a dangerous first defense of his reclaimed WBC super middleweight title. The aggressive Guatemalan can punch and has Brian “BoMac” McIntyre in his corner, giving him access to the trainer who helped Terence Crawford beat Canelo.
“My dream now is to fight Canelo because he’s the champion,” Martinez said to Izquierdazo Boxeo in a quote shared by The Ring. His WBC interim title gives that ambition substance, although it does not establish that Canelo has been ordered to face him next.
The McIntyre connection makes this more interesting than another contender requesting a payday. BoMac knows what went into preparing Crawford for Canelo and could bring that knowledge into Martinez’s camp. The WBC lists McIntyre as Martinez’s trainer. wbcboxing.com
Crawford could also offer firsthand advice about Canelo’s timing, counterpunching and habits under pressure. His involvement in a potential camp has not been announced, but Martinez would have an obvious reason to seek his stablemate’s input.
Mbilli took too long to alter his approach when Canelo’s jab and head movement disrupted his pressure last weekend. He continued following Canelo without consistently changing how he attacked. Martinez would likely arrive expecting those tactics, with McIntyre preparing ways to get past the jab and vary his attack.
That would not make Lester immune to Canelo’s counters. It could, however, reduce the rounds spent trying to work out what to do next. BoMac could prepare alternatives before the opening bell and help Martinez adjust between rounds when Canelo starts frustrating him.
Martinez would still need to win with his own tools. He cannot copy Crawford’s performance. His route would involve sustained pressure, body punching and enough variation to prevent Canelo from anticipating each attack.
His 2025 draw with Mbilli gives him a relevant result against the man Canelo just defeated. Beating Canelo is another matter, but an aggressive puncher arriving with informed preparation would be a serious undertaking for the 36-year-old champion.
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