A future superstar from the 2024 Olympics is staying loyal to his fellow American in the Canelo Alvarez fight.
The legacy of Terence Crawford could be defined with a win on September 13th to place him in the conversation with the best of all time.
Canelo’s last performance may give ‘Bud’ some solace after the Mexican’s 12-round fight with William Scull in May was marred by a stagnant performance from himself and his Cuban challenger.
Two issues going against Crawford in this fight are his age and the two-division jump in weight, as there is no rehydration clause.
Terence Crawford backed by 2024 Olympian against Canelo Alvarez, ‘He has more…’
The 37-year-old is three years older than Alvarez, but he does have fewer miles on the clock, having had fewer fights.
While there are a multitude of factors he may need to overcome when solving the puzzle of the undisputed super middleweight champion, an Olympic standout who sparred with him doesn’t think he will have an issue.
Omari Jones, who represented America at the Paris Games, has trained with the Omaha fighter and has experience sparring the former welterweight king in the gym.
In an interview with TMZ Sports, the fighter explained: “I’m going with Crawford. He just has the grit… the man is just so competitive. When we spar, it’s like his competitiveness is always going to put him over the edge.
“He just has that like I’m not going to let you bully me (attitude).”
The 22-year-old Jones has just started his journey as a professional, having racked up three knockouts in his first three contests. He looks like a force to be reckoned with in the super welterweight division.
‘Banger’ also explained that he feels the challenger will have no problem with the difference in weight, and revealed how much he believes the former champion will be weighing before his cut.
“He’s pretty big. It looked like he put it on the right way. Crawford, he trains hard,” he said.
“So, I feel he probably went up to 185, so he has to lose that weight. But I think if he did it the right way, which I know he did, he’ll be successful in September.”
Former Canelo Alvarez opponent claims weight will be ‘too much of an issue’ for Terence Crawford
Even if the prospect believes he is putting the weight on correctly, it might still be a struggle, considering he has only fought once at the 154-pound division before his move to 168.
Retired British fighter John Ryder, who had taken a life-changing opportunity to fight Canelo in Mexico, knows exactly how it feels to size up to the four-division champion.
While he lost a wide unanimous decision, Ryder’s experience is why he is warning Crawford about his weight.
Speaking to Fight Hub TV, ‘The Gorilla’ said: “I think the weight will be too much of an issue. Canelo is a special talent, and I think the weight will play a factor in the fight.
“I would have liked Crawford to be more at light middle and middleweight to build into it. But you take these opportunities when they come, and that’s what greatness is.”
With only two fights since 2023, compared to Alvarez’s five, bedding in at the weight would have seemed like a great option, considering the magnitude of the task ahead.