One of the trainers who watched Terence Crawford win his first world title believes that he can beat Saul “Canelo” Alvarez if he can keep their fight at long range.
Crawford on Saturday moves up to super middleweight from junior middleweight to challenge the undisputed 168lbs champion at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on an evening when he is expected to encounter significant disadvantages in size and weight.
The 37-year-old won his first world title at lightweight, when in 2014 he travelled to Scotland to impressively dethrone the then-WBO champion Ricky Burns, and in Mexico’s Alvarez he fights a formidable opponent who has previously won a title at 175lbs.
Regardless of perceptions of Alvarez’s decline Crawford will require all of his intelligence and composure if he is to follow his success at junior welterweight and welterweight in becoming the new undisputed champion at 168lbs.
Billy Nelson was Burns’ trainer that night in Glasgow in 2014 and throughout the peak of Burns’ fine career. He was one of the closest of all when Crawford first proved himself an elite fighter, continues to consider him the very best fighter he has encountered, and while believing that Alvarez is declining ultimately expects the outcome of Saturday’s fight to be determined by its range.
“Crawford is, for me, the perfect boxer,” Nelson told BoxingScene. “He can box both stances equally as good as each other; his balance and his shot selection is exceptional. He’s just an all-round, fantastic boxer – his boxing IQ’s through the roof. I don’t think he’s got any weaknesses.
“He can certainly out-speed Canelo. It just depends on the range of the fight; if Canelo can get in mid-to-close range it’ll cause him problems. ‘Cause at times against [Israil] Madrimov I thought [Crawford, in 2024] struggled with the weight at 154 – this is obviously 168. He is bigger. Canelo’s not much taller than him; he’s just thicker set than him. It’ll be a great fight with two great fighters.
“Alvarez is exceptional as well. Apart from [in 2022, Dmitry] Bivol, the last few years he’s been getting handpicked opponents; he’s been selecting his opponents. But he’s an exceptional fighter; he’s fought many, many good fighters, and out-skilled them.”
Nelson, who also trains the heavyweight Martin Bakole and on Saturday in Belfast guides Lewis Crocker into his rematch with Paddy Donovan for the IBF welterweight title, was asked if Crawford is the best fighter he has seen and he responded: “Without a doubt.”
He was then asked if Alvarez, at 35, remains the same fighter who was once considered among the world’s best, and he said: “No. He’s just going over the top a wee bit now – and that was quite apparent in the [in May, William] Scull fight.
“His defence is exceptional. His shot selection’s fantastic. Good head movement. Great judgement of distance.
“[But I predict a win for] Crawford on points. It’s going to be a close fight, I think.”
