Sugar Ray Leonard’s One Line Warning to Canelo Alvarez Puts Terence Crawford’s Weight Disadvantage on Backseat

It’s happening. Terence Crawford is all set to face the Mexican superstar, Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, later this year. Ever since Bud moved up to 154 lbs and defeated Israil Madrimov to capture the WBA and WBO interim light middleweight titles, fans had been hopeful for a future clash with the undisputed super middleweight champion. Now, as the 37-year-old southpaw skips a weight class to meet Cinnamon at 168 lbs, the showdown is all set for September 13. Initially planned for the day before, the venue is yet to be selected between Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and New York.

To some, the abrupt move up in weight classes and facing one of the greatest boxers of this generation may seem like an uphill battle for Crawford. But, is weight really an issue? For many, yes. But for some, the two-division undisputed champion can counter that. The Omaha native is currently ranked No.3 on Ring Magazine‘s pound-for-pound list, whereas Canelo finds himself further down the list. This is a reason why many feel Terence Crawford is skilled enough to negate the weight difference between the two. This includes boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard, who feels Bud has what it takes to bring home the win. A reporter from Fight Hub TV recently got the chance to speak with the 1976 Montreal Olympic gold-medalist. And naturally, the Crawford-Canelo bout came up.

Referencing his November 1988 fight with Donny Lalonde, where he moved up in weight after more than a year of being away from the sport, the reporter asked Sugar Ray Leonard what he thought about Terence Crawford’s chances of winning the bout. Not sugar-coating it, the 69-year-old dropped an honest take on the matter. “It’s a big difference. I mean, when I fought Donny Lalonde, every time he hit me, seriously, he hurt me to a degree—not knocking me out, but he hurt me, put it that way,” he admitted.

But then, sounding hopeful for the former undisputed welterweight champion, Sugar continued, “He can do it—I mean, he can do it, no question about that.” He acknowledged that the weight difference does pose a challenge in the fight, but he remained hopeful in Crawford’s chances against the bigger Canelo Alvarez. “But you know what? There’s always a way. There’s always a way to win,” he shared plainly, summarizing his perspective in one line.

Emphasising the fact that if one is a true fighter, they find the way to win no matter what, the 69-year-old must have been reminiscing about his own move up in weight to fight Lalonde in Las Vegas—and eventually knocking the bigger guy out.

Can Sugar Ray Leonard’s move up in weight show the way for Terence Crawford?

When Leonard fought Lalonde at Caesars Palace in Paradise, Nevada, on November 7, 1988, the latter’s WBC light heavyweight and inaugural WBC super middleweight titles were on the line. To bring up the similarities, it was a super middleweight bout as well, at the 168-pound weight limit. Coming back to the ring after his third retirement, Leonard was someone no boxer would deny a fight with, especially considering the Wilmington native’s image at the time, having won a fight against Marvin Hagler the year before.

Sugar was a 3-1 betting favorite against Lalonde and earned $15 million for that bout. As for the brawl itself, it had a controversial ending. At first, his opponent controlled the early rounds, but Leonard bounced back offensively from the fifth round on, something that Crawford does often in his fights. In the ninth round, Sugar Ray Leonard landed a flurry of punches, sending Lalonde down twice. When the Canadian couldn’t get up the second time, the referee waved it off, and Leonard was declared the winner by technical knockout.

It does set an example that shows the smaller guy can do it. However, we must also acknowledge that, though a tough fighter, Donny Lalonde is no Canelo Alvarez. Arguably one of the best boxers of this generation, beating Canelo will take more grit and skills than what most boxers have today. But if someone can do it, it is Terence Crawford. And let’s not forget, it has been done twice before already by Bivol and Mayweather, and Gennady Golovkin came pretty close too. So, now, it’s anyone’s guess.

What do you think? Is Canelo Alvarez going to emerge victorious because of the weight advantage? Or is it not a problem for the skillful Crawford?

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