In this week’s mailbag, we tackle your thoughts on whether Terence Crawford has the power or the ability to defeat Saul “Canelo” Alvarez; how the impending arrival of Jaron “Boots” Ennis at junior middleweight only increases the need for all the talent at 154lbs to mix it up; how Ennis’ departure from 147 means Brian Norman Jnr is now the top dog at welterweight; and how Francisco Rodriguez Jnr and Galal Yafai looked in their flyweight battle last weekend.

Want to be featured in the mailbag? Comment or ask a question in the comments section below. Submissions may be edited for length and clarity. We also may select readers’ comments from other BoxingScene stories.

Terence Crawford ever knocking out Canelo is a pipe dream. Canelo's chin is granite. He ate shots from Gennadiy Golovkin and never really wobbled. The only time Canelo was wobbled was with Miguel Cotto’s brother [Jose Miguel Cotto in 2010, closer to the welterweight limit], when he was at lower weights and had massive weight drains, which doesn’t even say much about your chin. 

Dmitry Bivol, too. I think Bivol could have really stopped him if he pressed it, but Canelo was getting lit up and still never quit. He kept evading to the best of his abilities. Crawford ain’t going to one-punch KO him and ain't going to have the type of follow-up to ever take Canelo out. 

So Crawford’s only way of somehow winning is to stick and move, and he doesn't even really do that. He likes to hunt more. I just don't see Crawford winning unless it's a very close win, like the Israil Madrimov fight, where some think Crawford lost. 

-elf

Owen Lewis’ response: Your first line is probably right. Probably. Canelo’s chin is already legendary, so much so that despite Kieran Mulvaney’s very clear criteria in his “50 Greatest Jaws in Boxing History” piece that he would not include active fighters, a couple folks still flocked to the comments to complain about the omission of Alvarez. (“How has Canelo not made this list? Either he forgot or is hating,” one “reader” opined.) 

Hell, forget the Sergey Kovalev and Golovkin fights – Edgar Berlanga came into the ring at around the cruiserweight limit and even had a free shot at Canelo when the famous Mexican thought the round had ended, and Berlanga still couldn’t cause visible damage. Even as Canelo’s motor and output have declined, his chin has remained as unyielding as diamond. 

That said, I don’t think Crawford’s chances of winning are as remote as you make them out to be. “Bud” has had his eye on this fight for a couple years now, and come the opening bell, he’ll have had over 12 months to remake his body into that of a super middleweight. 

Canelo hasn’t scored a stoppage since late 2021; even then, his knockouts tended to come from an accumulation of punches rather than one shot. So I don’t buy that Crawford will crumble the first time Canelo hits him, or even that he has to stick and move as much as you say. 

Like you, I was initially skeptical of Crawford’s chances to win this fight. But after Canelo’s plodding, low-activity performance against William Scull, a picture formed in my mind. Crawford, unlike most of Canelo’s recent opponents, should have the faster hands. So he might not wobble Alvarez, but he’ll time him with sharp, stinging straight shots that land right on the button. He’ll exchange in spots, eating a big shot or two but grimly shaking them off. 

Alvarez will have neither the one-punch power nor the stamina to throw a stoppage-earning flurry, so he won’t be able to generate much momentum, and Crawford will win a clear decision. 

I don’t know if that’s what I think will happen, but it seems very plausible to me. Besides, the esteemed trainer and mailbag writer Stephen “Breadman” Edwards thinks that Crawford can not only win but might indeed stop Alvarez, and that alone tells me that it’s not as unlikely as I first figured. 

JUNIOR MIDDLEWEIGHT TOURNAMENT, PLEASE

I like Jaron “Boots” Ennis, but I think that Vergil Ortiz beats him. They should have a tournament at 154lbs. Instead of the “Super Six,” call it “The Knockout Nine.” There’s a ton of good fights that can be made at the weight, and nobody is really head and shoulders above the rest of the field. 

-CPNUTKnockoutFreshmart

Lance Pugmire’s response: Good idea, and you’re right about the division being stacked, but tournaments are subject to injury delays, so my hope is that the fighters and their handlers will embrace the division’s depth and work to make the best fights possible. 

With titleholders including Bakhram Murtazaliev (IBF) and Sebastian Fundora (WBC), while Xander Zayas fights Jorge Garcia Perez for the WBO belt in late July, the presence of unbeaten former unified welterweight champion Ennis and unbeaten WBC interim titleholder Ortiz \ makes the possible matchups an endless exercise. 

With IBF mandatory challenger Erickson Lubin, WBA interim titleholder Yoenis Tellez and gifted contenders Serhii Bohachuk and Jesus Ramos in the division, many are looking to establish themselves as “the man.” Beyond that, few in this group have shied from the toughest bout possible. Let them go at it, and let’s enjoy a flood of quality bouts for the next few years until the winner is crowned.

BRIAN NORMAN JNR IS NOW THE BEST WELTERWEIGHT

Brian Norman has been the sleeper threat at 147lbs for a while. With Jaron “Boots” Ennis moving to 154, I don't see anyone better at welterweight. It would be great if Norman can unify and drag 147 back into glamour division status again.  

-Left Hook Louie

Lucas Ketelle’s response: Norman is an old-school guy with an old-school team. I point to Jolene Mizzone, his manager, as a pivotal figure in the roadmap being laid for him. Mizzone worked as the Main Events matchmaker for years and developed young fighters into contenders and champions. That said, Norman isn’t the same type of fighter as Terence Crawford, but the way he is getting overlooked in terms of top fighters reminds me of Crawford before the Viktor Postol fight. 

For me, it isn’t just Norman’s skill level or his obvious one-punch power; it is his age. He is 24. Devin Haney, Ryan Garcia and Teofimo Lopez are all older than him, yet somehow Norman feels more mature. I wouldn’t be surprised if we blink and it is 2027, and Norman is a two-division titleholder involved with meaningful matchups and considered a top name in a marquee weight class. If that doesn't happen, I will be shocked. 

Yes, he can probably unify the division, but more so, he can make great fights, and he shows a willingness to travel to do so. He fought Giovani Santillan in Santillan’s hometown and did so again against Jin Sasaki. Norman is the type of fighter the modern era needs: a capable champion willing to test himself against the best. 

RODRIGUEZ SHOWED LEVELS, YAFAI TOOK A BEATING

Francisco Rodriguez Jnr just showed the levels when it comes to the world-level in the pro game. He did to Galal Yafai what Yafai did to Sunny Edwards, and that was just bully him and use his size and strength to just totally outfight him the whole 12 rounds. 

I give credit to Yafai for seeing the end, because he looked hurt so many times in the fight, and obviously being dropped in the final round heavily as well, but he just didn’t have the experience as a pro to deal with a Mexican bulldozer like Rodriguez. Not sure where Yafai really goes after that. There has to be a rebuild, and after a beating like that it, takes a lot out of a fighter 

-Jamesboxing

Tris Dixon’s response:  I was so impressed with both fighters – but for different reasons. 

Let’s start with Rodriguez: That was an insane performance. For someone that age and experience to be so relentless, ambitious and determined blew my mind. Yafai couldn’t keep him off, and the record-setting punch stats on CompuBox showed as much. 

I know Rodriguez had a serious pedigree, but I was not expecting him to be such a livewire and I did not expect him to keep marching through Yafai’s heavy hands the way that he did, completely unfazed. He would not be denied. 

On to Yafai: I have no idea what the next step is. He paid Rodriguez plenty of respect before and knew he would be a handful, but even at the referee’s instructions Yafai looked a little surprised at just how “up for it” Rodriguez appeared. 

But I give Yafai all the credit in the world for seeing out the fight. Should it have been stopped? If Yafai was a 22-year-old prospect? Yes. Save him for another day. If Yafai couldn’t punch? Sure. If he wasn’t going to turn it around with one shot. If Rodriguez was younger? Maybe, because there might have still been an element of doubt that he could maintain that wild pace at his age. 

But at 32, with so few pro fights, and the possibility of landing a fight-changing shot, I can see why Robert McCracken kept Yafai in there. But it has likely knocked a year or two off the back end of Yafai’s career. 

That was a savage night, and it must have felt like he was living in a nightmare and unable to escape. And fair play to him, he didn’t try to. But that is not the type of loss you necessarily learn from. That was the kind that can damage you, physically and psychologically. 

Want to be featured in the mailbag? Comment or ask a question in the comments section below. Submissions may be edited for length and clarity. We also may select readers’ comments from other BoxingScene stories.