Terence Crawford and Canelo Alvarez will face off in a mega-fight between two pound-for-pound elites in Las Vegas on September 13th.
With Moses Itauma‘s obliteration of Dillian Whyte now behind us, all eyes are firmly on September 13th, wondering whether Terence Crawford can defy his weight disadvantage to defeat the face of boxing in Mexican star Canelo Alvarez.
Whilst some big names in boxing like Abel Sanchez believe Crawford’s weight will be too much of an issue for him to be able to defeat Canelo, others firmly believe Bud has what it takes to defeat the Mexican, especially at this point in his career.
One such believer is a man who defied the odds on more than one occasion himself.
Antonio Tarver believes Terence Crawford will beat Canelo Alvarez
Antonio Tarver was sat ringside for Itauma vs Whyte, and was asked after fight what he made of the upcoming Crawford vs Canelo clash.
Tarver responded, “I’m Bud County all the way, but this is going to be the toughest fight, the best fighter Bud has ever been in the ring with. And arguably, this could be the best fighter Canelo has been in the ring with. We’ll find out which one is which.”
Tarver was defeated in 2003 by Roy Jones Jr. in a majority decision victory. The close decision prompted the pair to rematch six months later, only this time the result was entirely different.
The legendary 49-1 Jones, whose only loss at that point came from a disqualification, was beaten for the second time and stopped for the first, as Tarver knocked him out in just two rounds.
The legendary rivalry did get a third instalment in 2005, though Tarver again proved himself against the all-time great, winning a unanimous decision, asserting that his KO win was no fluke.
Tarver is the only man to defeat Jones not once, but twice.
Roy Jones Jr. agrees with Antonio Tarver that Terence Crawford might just win
Ahead of the fight, Jones Jr was interviewed, and asked about the age old saying – ‘A good big fighter beats a good little fighter.’
Jones acknowledged the truth in the saying, though added a caveat of his own, stating that a good big fighter may beat a good little one, but a great little fighter will be able to dethrone a good big one.
Jones suggested Crawford could win, as he may well be that great fighter who could defeat Canelo.
Canelo has been slowing down in recent years and has undergone a knockout drought since his 2021 win over Caleb Plant.
If there was ever a time for Bud to find success against him, it’s now.