2025 is shaping up to be a dream year for fight fans. Canelo Alvarez has inked a massive four-fight deal with His Excellency Turki Alalshikh, setting the stage for some truly blockbuster matchups. First on the agenda? A showdown in May against IBF World Super Middleweight champion William Scull, with all of Canelo’s belts on the line. But let’s be real—that’s just the opening act. The real spectacle comes in September when the Mexican superstar is expected to take on WBA Super Welterweight champion Terence Crawford.
Sounds straightforward, right? Not quite. The biggest challenge? The significant weight difference that Crawford will have to overcome to make this fight a reality. Crawford usually competes in the 154 pound division, but needs to make a jump of 14 pounds for his upcoming fight. ‘Bud’ isn’t quite worried about the weight difference and feels he has the skill set to challenge the Mexican. However, according to Joe Rogan, Crawford isn’t quite small as people are thinking of him to be. The UFC color commentator recently invited Antonio Brown on his #2286 episode of his JRE podcast. While speaking to his guest, he made it clear that the 37-year-old has enough time to gain significant size.
During the conversation, Rogan made it clear that he is super excited for the clash and said, “You know what I am excited for man? Terence Crawford and Canelo. That’s the one.” However, he then addressed one of the biggest concerns for most fans, the size difference between both fighters. He said, “Lot of people think Terence is too small. He weighed himself the other day and he was 185 pounds. Well he just won the 154lb title and you know. Before that, he was fighting at Welterweight, which is 147. But it’s not like he doesn’t have time to thicken up a little bit.”
A large portion of fans still believe that, despite Crawford’s undeniable skill set, he’d ultimately be just another name added to Canelo’s ever-growing list of conquered opponents. Much of this skepticism stems from the fact that the 37-year-old Crawford is making a daunting leap up without the safety net of a rehydration clause. History has shown that smaller fighters often struggle when stepping up against naturally bigger opponents. But Paulie Malignaggi doesn’t quite think the same.
Paulie Malignaggi backs Terence Crawford for his upcoming fight
Former professional boxer and ProBox TV analyst Paulie Malignaggi, just like most of the fans is super excited for the clash. He feels the unified super-middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez is a master in himself. While the Mexican does hold a bit of an advantage in terms of size, Crawford is never going to be an easy fight feels Malignaggi. While speaking to Fight Hype recently, ‘Magic Man’ pointed out the areas where the ‘Bud’ holds a significant advantage over his fellow fighter. He said, “I was originally thinking Crawford might be too small,”.
However, he then made it clear that, at the end it will all come down to skillset between the two where Crawford holds a slight advantage. He said, “I think Crawford is a way more complete fighter than Canelo ever was. The only risk here is Crawford’s small. You think about it though, [Roberto] Duran, was a former lightweight and he was able to beat Iran Barkley eventually.” It’s worth remembering that when Roberto Duran faced Iran Barkley in 1989, the fight was razor-close, ending in a split decision victory for Duran—even though Barkley had previously taken down Tommy Hearns.
That being said, as time goes on, more and more fans are starting to believe that Terence Crawford has what it takes to dethrone Canelo Alvarez. Of course, bold predictions about Canelo’s opponents are nothing new—but Crawford is a different beast entirely. Do you think he has what it takes to pull off the upset?
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