Shakur Stevenson predicts that Terence Crawford is going to make it look “easy” in defeating Canelo Alvarez to dethrone him of his undisputed super middleweight championship on September 13 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Shakur’s Prediction of an Easy Win
WBC lightweight champion Shakur paints a picture of Canelo (63-2-2, 39 KOs) being a one-dimensional fighter, throwing the “same combinations.” He believes that Bud Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs), who he views as a “GOAT,” will quickly pick up on Canelo’s repetitive style of throwing punches and dominate him.
Stevenson says Crawford will “shut everybody up,” all the doubters, who don’t believe he can move up three divisions after more than a year out of the ring, graying and about to turn 38.
Shakur doesn’t say whether his thoughts on Crawford will change if he comes up short and loses the fight. Will he admit that he lost to the better man, Canelo, or use the weight as an excuse to give his hero, Crawford, a pass?
“I think it’s going to be very easy,” said Shakur Stevenson to Daily Mail Boxing, picking Terence Crawford to defeat Canelo Alvarez on Saturday. “You watch Canelo in his last fight. He threw the same combinations over and over. A great fighter is going to pick up on that.”
Crawford’s last performance against Israil Madrimov looked nothing like the kind of effort that would make one think that he’s going to have an “easy” time beating Canelo. He beat Madrimov by a narrow 12-round unanimous decision by a pair of 115-113 scores and an out-of-place 116-112 score on August 3, 2024.
Father Time’s Visit to Crawford
The power wasn’t there, nor were Crawford’s reflexes. He appeared weak, old, and nothing like the fighter he’d been 13 months earlier. It was as if Father Time had visited Crawford, letting him know that he’s no longer young. His victory over Errol Spence on July 29, 2023, could be his last great performance, and it’s going to be all downhill from there.
Is This the GOAT’s Moment?
“Come Saturday night, we’re going to see some GOAT s*** [from Crawford]. You’re going to see the best version of Terence Crawford. He’s coming to shut everybody up, as he always do. As the round goes, he adapts,” said Shakur, sounding more like a fawning fan than a fighter.
