Putting the finishing touches to his training camp, a certain sparring session has a former foe of Canelo Alvarez gushing over the Mexican.
Set to make his first defense of the undisputed super middleweight crown next month, Canelo Alvarez returns to the US to take on the undefeated Terence Crawford in a blockbuster super fight.
Gearing up for the biggest test of his divisional run so far, the Mexican is pulling out all the stops just weeks before his pairing with Crawford in ‘Sin City’.
So much so, the inclusion of a particular sparring partner in his camp has one former foe of the Jalisco star confident in how the fight with Crawford is going to play out.
Liam Smith confident Canelo Alvarez defeats Terence Crawford
A former opponent of Canelo, Liverpool veteran Liam Smith took on the challenger in a memorable 2016 showdown, with the Brit’s WBO light middleweight crown on the line.
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Forcing a late finish in the ninth round, Canelo would rip with a left hook to the body in the frame, sending Smith to the canvas.
And paired with the knowledge of his prior loss to the champion, as well as the inclusion of IBF, WBA, and The Ring welterweight champion Jaron Ennis into his camp, Smith believes Canelo is “serious” about Crawford.
“I think it shows you Canelo’s (Alvarez) take on the fight [with Crawford] if he’s getting ‘Boot’s (Jaron) Ennis into sparring — ‘Boots’ Ennis is a great fighter, so he’s taking it serious,” Smith told Seconds Out.
Offering a definitive prediction, too, Smith suggested Canelo would defeat Crawford, likely in a late stoppage victory or a decision triumph.
“Canelo,” Smith said when asked for his pick. “Maybe [by a] late stoppage or [on] points, yeah. Canelo.”
And with his pick of Canelo to potentially defeat Crawford with a late knockout win, Liverpool star Smith is joining an ever-growing list siding with the Jalisco megastar.
Regis Prograis picks Canelo Alvarez to beat Terence Crawford
Another star to raise his head above the parapet is former WBC light welterweight champion Regis Prograis.
Breaking down the fight between Canelo and Crawford in recent days, New Orleans star Prograis suggested age may play a sizeable factor in the super fight — claiming the former is on the better side of that equation due to the age gap.
“He’s not like that [a mover] and he’s getting older now, too,” Prograis told FightHub TV. “If Crawford can pull it off, it’ll be amazing, but I don’t see it.
“Canelo is big, he’s strong. I hear that he’s [Crawford] going to knock him out,” Prograis explained. “Canelo has been hit by (Sergey) Kovalev, and GGG (Gennady Golovkin). These were big punchers. Erislandy Lara and (Dmitry) Bivol. He’s been hit by real big punchers.”