Turki Alalshikh reiterated at today’s Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford press conference in Riyadh about his dislike of “Tom and Jerry” type of fights. He made it clear with the message that he wants both to “deliver” to him “blood” in their main event, for the undisputed super middleweight championship fight on September 13th at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Crawford Rejects Turki’s Order
Moments later, Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) gave Turki some push back, saying. “I’m not going to let somebody else force me or tell me how to fight when I’ve been fighting my whole life.”
Turki may have picked the wrong person for Canelo to fight to avoid a “Tom and Jerry” type contest because Crawford has been a mover his entire career. Even in his last fight against Israil Madrimov, Crawford moved a lot. The fight resembled a chess match.
That’s fine if you’re one of the rare fans who like to see technical battles, but the average fan was bored by that fight. It was like watching one of Shakur Stevenson’s fights.
Age Limits Crawford’s Adaption
It’s hard for an older fighter like the 38-ish Crawford to change his stripes at his age. He’s not young, and asking him to fight in a style that he’s rarely used would be too much. Terence is set in his ways.
That’s why he felt brave enough to challenge Turki about his desire for him to see brawling on September 13th. Crawford’s open resistance to Turki is a signal that he can’t change his style, even if he wanted to unless Canelo were physically broken from a car crash like Errol Spence.
Turki Demands Bloody Bout
“As I said last week, I hate Tom and Jerry’s kind of boxing. I am sure they will deliver for me, smashing face and blood. This is boxing,” said Turki Alalshikh during today’s Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford kickoff press conference in Riyadh. “I don’t want to force to have the ring 12 x 12 or something like this for this big fight.”
Turki doesn’t have to worry about Canelo at least turning the fight into a “Tom and Jerry” kind of clash, because the one expected to be bringing the heat all night on September 13th. Canelo has the true size and power advantage in this fight.
Crawford’s Weight Gain Issues
Although Crawford has packed on weight, that doesn’t mean he’ll be punching harder. It won’t make him a natural 168-pound fighter. It’s extra weight that will slow him down, making him slower, easier to hit, and tiring him faster. He would have been better off being lean at his welterweight size to give him a speed advantage.
Vegas: Boxing’s Capital Choice
“We insisted on having it in Vegas because Vegas is the capital of boxing. We want to have all the fans around the world see it at the perfect time. We own this fight, and this is the beginning. On September 13th, we will see a great fight, one of the best fights in at least the last 10 years,” said Turki.
