I think Crawford uploaded a photo on Instagram where he weighed about 167 lbs after Thanksgiving. That to me tells me he's not a natural super middleweight at all since he was stuffing himself with food and probably not even doing any real workouts during that entire month as he spent time with family. Galento was fat, but he had plenty of muscle beneath his 233 pound frame. In addition to boxing training, he did lots of manual labor and had strong and defined arms and legs. Almost like a flabby, smaller version of Tua in terms of physique. As crude as he was, Galento had legitimate KO power, a great chin, and knew how to pressure people. So to answer the thread question: as skilled as Crawford is, he would not have the size, chin, or power to keep Galento from simply bulldozing him eventually. Crawford might even win the first few rounds due to astronomical difference in speed, technique, ring IQ, timing, defense, etc. But a single solid punch from Galento would rock Crawford down to the soles of his feet like he got hit by a baseball bat. Crawford is tough and has that determined dog in him, but getting off the canvas would just lead to a prolonged and brutal beating. We are talking a roughly 70-80 lbs of muscle difference and the power/chin differential would be like a tiger swiping at a leopard. Galento wins by KO within 4-5 rounds tops.
I was disheartened when Turki Al-Sheik was interviewed post the Zhang vs Wilder fight and mentioned they'll make the Crawford vs Canelo fight. Crawford was always naturally comparable in size to modern WWs, he was draining big to make LW and LWW, but he's nothing more than a WW. Canelo was a natural MW who was huge when draining to and at LMW. He's since bulked into a fully fledged SMW. Crawford is better than Canelo p4p, but he has no business in the ring with him such is the size discrepancy, let alone against a HW contender. Galento wasn't a great contender, but he was a damn sight better than Jay Turner.
Agreed. Crawford probably genuinely believes he can win, and he also probably wants that huge payday. He is a warrior. But he has absolutely no business being in the ring with a skilled, veteran, natural super middleweight with power that can shatter eye sockets, a granite chin, and superb technique. It will be a massacre. Crawford shouldn't go any higher than 154 and even that's kind of pushing it. He's already in his mid 30's and has plenty of wear and tear boxing since he was a teenager. 168 is a bridge too far, especially if he hasn't gotten used to that weight or fought any decent opponents above 147. It's really not worth ruining his career over this. His legacy will be forever defined by how Canelo brutally knocked him out.
I'll remember him an as an exceptionally talented fighter, who didn't quite assemble the resume to match. Agreed on his chances vs Canelo, it will probably at a catchweight of c.164lbs, but given the proper notice he'll have, that shouldn't be a problem for Canelo. Crawford is better relative to their respective sizes, but not to the extent that Canelo is bigger. He stands little chance, imo.
