Mike Tyson is against Crawford fighting Canelo

Boxing legend Mike Tyson has voiced his opposition to the idea of Terence Crawford jumping up to 168 pounds to challenge Canelo Alvarez for his WBA, WBC, and WBO super middleweight titles. Tyson, known for his sharp boxing insights, believes that the weight jump is simply too much for Crawford, who recently struggled in his move from 147 to 154 pounds.

In his last fight on August 3rd, Crawford fought Israil Madrimov for the WBA junior middleweight belt and, according to Tyson, didn’t look his best. "Iron Mike" pointed out that Madrimov, a naturally bigger fighter, landed powerful and clean shots on Crawford throughout the contest. While Crawford was awarded a narrow unanimous decision, Tyson argued that Madrimov’s punches were more effective and that the judges’ scoring didn’t reflect the difficulty Crawford faced in the fight.

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"I don’t like that fight [Canelo vs. Crawford]. Too much weight," Tyson said on the “It Is What It Is” YouTube channel. He emphasized that if Crawford struggled against Madrimov, moving up to face Canelo, one of the sport's most powerful super middleweights, would be an even taller task. Tyson also criticized the decision to face Madrimov, saying, "He [Crawford] shouldn’t have even fought that guy."

Many fans and analysts believe that Crawford is eyeing a fight with Canelo to secure a massive payday before retirement. However, Tyson suggests that Crawford would need to prove himself at 168 pounds before even considering such a fight. He proposed that Crawford should face fighters like David Benavidez, David Morrell, Christian Mbilli, and Osleys Iglesias to demonstrate his ability to compete in the higher weight class.

All in all, Tyson’s message was clear: Crawford needs to earn his shot at Canelo the hard way, and the leap from welterweight to super middleweight may be too much for the soon-to-be 37-year-old boxer.