Terence Crawford predicts KO, responds to ‘drunk’ Ilia Topuria
Terence Crawford talks to MMA Junkie and other reporters at media day for Saturday’s boxing match vs. Canelo Alvarez.
LAS VEGAS – The reward is massive, but not so much the risk. That’s how Terence Crawford weighs in on what’s at stake in his mega boxing fight against Canelo Alvarez.
Crawford and Alvarez, two historical greats in boxing, clash this Saturday in Las Vegas in a championship bout for undisputed status at super middleweight. It’s one of the biggest boxing fights in the history of the sport, and it’s set to go down at the Allegiant Stadium in front of an expected audience of 70,000 people, and even more watching at home on Netflix. There’s no denying a win would vastly elevate either guy’s career, but on the contrary, Crawford doesn’t feel a loss would hurt either guy’s legacy.
“Not at all, not at all,” Crawford said at the media day on Wednesday. “First and foremost, I’m going to win. That’s for sure. But at the same time, I don’t think losing tarnishes me or Canelo’s legacy. I think Canelo is a first-ballot Hall of Famer, and I think that I’m a first-ballot Hall of Famer. So whether win, lose or draw, both of us are going into the Hall of Fame, and I think that’s the ultimate goal at the end of the day: To be named with all the great fighters that came before us to be inducted into the Hall of Fame for all that we’ve done in the sport of boxing.”
Crawford, who’s regarded by many as the pound-for-pound best in boxing, is looking to become the first undisputed champion in three different weight classes in the history of the sport. He’s currently the undisputed champion at light welterweight and welterweight, and will look to do the same against Canelo at super middleweight.
He’s convinced that making history is already in the books for him, and promises victory on Saturday.
“I’m 1,000 percent sure now,” Crawford said. “You have to think, going into a fight, you don’t know what’s going to happen. You can get injuries, he can get injuries, like there’s so many things that go on in a boxing match. The judges, the ref, preparation, everything. So you’re not 100 percent sure if a fighter says I’m 1,000 percent sure, they lying because you have to go out there and perform at the end of the day, and I’m more than ready to go out there and perform this Saturday.”
