Tim Tszyu says Canelo Alvarez’s hunger isn’t the same as it once was during his fights against Gennadiy ‘GGG’ Golovkin, and he believes Terence Crawford can hurt him in their fight on September 13th.
Tsyu says Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) can beat Canelo (63-2-2, 39 KOs) by following the Floyd Mayweather Jr. blueprint of hitting and moving. That might be harder for Crawford because he’ll be 38 in September, and he’s not as physically active as Mayweather was when he beat a young 22-year-old Canelo in 2013.
Canelo’s Post-GGG Decline
“Canelo’s not like when he fought GGG. You know, those days in that type of form,” said Tim Tszyu to the media about Canelo Alvarez having deteriorated from when he was fighting Gennadiy Golovkin in his prime from 2017 to 2022. “He’s a bit more comfortable.”
It’s not about Canelo being “more comfortable” now, but he certainly is a lot wealthier than he was when he fought GGG from 2017 to 2022. His energy and stamina levels have steeply dropped off to where he’s now only capable of fighting hard for three to four rounds. He’s exhausted after that.
“He’s in shape,” said Tszyu about Canelo’s conditioning. “I’m not sure [if Canelo is hungry anymore]. I think Crawford has a lot more to prove. Just the way Floyd Mayweather did it,” said Tim when asked how Terence beats Alvarez.
Canelo’s cardiovascular system isn’t great, which is the cause for him gassing so early in his fights. He’s not doing enough work on his cardio during his camp, and that may him in his fight against Terence.
Crawford’s Canelo Blueprint
“Just box and move. And he’s got the IQ, and he’s a very high-level fighter. Yeah, I think so,” said Tim on whether Crawford can hurt Canelo. “No, I just think his variety, and the shots you don’t see coming. I think he can do damage.”
It’s very unlikely that Crawford will be able to hurt Canelo enough to knock him out in this fight. He won’t throw enough punches to KO Canelo. If Terence tries, he’s going to get nailed by a big shot, and that’ll be it for him. This will be the biggest puncher Crawford will ever faced. He’s not going to enjoy getting hit, especially after a year out of the ring.
Terence has been enjoying the big payday he got fighting Israil Madrimov last August on Turki Alalshikh’s card at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles. His ambition has gone out the window, and it’s now about money. He says he’s fighting for legacy, but that’s not true because he would have stayed busy instead of sitting for a year.
