This content is protected Revisiting some fights and noticed how humongous Horn looks next to Crawford and how Crawford just manhandles him. People are really forgetting how freakishly strong Crawford is.
No one is denying he’s very strong that I’ve seen… But you’re comparing a guy who spent most of his career competing at 147, who was barely world level, to pound for pound talent Canelo, who has competed north of 160 for several years now…
Yeah but Horn looked huge is my point. Isn't his whole style to be bigger and stronger so he can rough up and manhandle his opponents? Does Canelo even fight anything like that? The size difference won't be anywhere as bad as the size difference in Crawford vs Horn and Canelo doesn't even use "size" or "strength" he's a skills fighter. Its just a flawed argument.
You raise some great points here, youre right Canelo isn’t known to be a physical fighter.. Beyond that, he almost NEVER gets physical with his opponents…. Unless you count trying to flip them over his shoulder when he gets frustrated.
You know what I'm going out on a limb somewhat here before all the "size" and strength" people start that before the fight - don't be so surprised if you see Crawford throwing Canelo around a little bit on the inside...
Jeff Horn said he used to come in at 158lbs at 147 Crawford weighed 153lbs at 135 vs Beltran 157 at 140 vs Postol and Diaz He was clearly significantly heavier than that up at 147 Crawford has a deceptive body. Madrimov looked bigger than him but Crawford weighed more than him Timestamped This content is protected
Being strong at 147 and being strong at 168 are two different worlds. Canelo was bullied and completely outgunned by Bivol, despite only going up one weight class against a relatively thin-framed puncher. Crawford is going up two weight classes after having one fight at 154. He's fighting someone who is deceptively strong at 168 as well, he's not going to bully Canelo at any point of the fight. If he tries it, he will get manhandled. Canelo literally picked up Bivol and carried him at one point, but people think a blown-up welterweight is going to come out on top in the physical exchanges? The only way Bud wins this fight is by potshotting and doing what Mayweather did, if he tries to get in the pocket he will get caught and lose within the distance.
Canelo just isn't a rough and tough physical kind of fighter. Hes just not. Your point about Canelo picking up and carrying Bivol 1 time was already addressed by someone else here as wrong.
This is why I never understood the argument that Crawford is a weight bully Horn, Spence, Madrimov, Benavidez were all bigger than him
He's not, but if he has to be, he will be. He has proven it in the past. He bullied Saunders and Callum Smith, and he met Kovalev in the centre of the ring, knocking him out late in the fight. The idea that a blown up welterweight will be able to push him around at 168 is wishful thinking for those who think Bud is invincible. Crawford couldn't even push Madrimov back in any meaningful way, and he's much smaller than Canelo.
Again, Horn said he came in at 158 at 147, Crawford was coming in as high as 153 at 135 and 157 at 140 and would've been at least 162 at 147 IMO and we know for a fact he weighed 169.8lbs for his first fight at 154, more than Madrimov weighed So Crawford rehydrated as much as 18lbs at 135 17lbs at 140 He was clearly rehydrating about that at 147 because he looked very noticeably significantly bigger at 147 than he did at 140 And he rehydrated practically 16lbs at 154 He weighed more against Madrimov than GGG did here This content is protected And just 0.2 ounces less than GGG's average fight night weight Crawford at 154 is the same size as GGG was at 160 and that was Crawford's first fight at the weight Crawford comes from a wrestling background and is very physically strong This content is protected
Your point about Madrimov somewhat stands but Madrimov was supposed to be too big and strong for Crawford also and none of that showed in the fight. Crawford's power looked lesser but not his strength level. In that it was just a regular fight. He didn't look weak or anything if thats what you're trying to say. Also none of those fights you brought up were rough or physical. Kovalev? Seriously? He was on his bike throwing pitty pat jabs all night. Thats the best examples you have of Canelo fighting "strong"?
Most of the time, these star vs star matchups don't live up to the hype. You often get more competitive fights with mandatory challengers than fights where some network or promoter plucks a star from over here and puts him in with a star from over there. I just can't get past the fact that Canelo knocked out Sergey Kovalev for a light Heavyweight title, and Crawford went the distance with Postol for the light welterweight title. All the talk, all the smoke, all the hype can't make me forget one guy blasted out a light heavyweight champ, and the other never did anything remotely close to that.