Terence Crawford said today that the reason he pushed hard for the fight against Canelo Alvarez at 168 is because he has “the tools” to beat him on September 13th. He says he’s not worried about the two-division weight jump because “the greats” do things that people believe are impossible.

Crawford’s “Greatness” Questioned

Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) hasn’t proven himself as a “great” based on his resume. So, we just know that he’s a good fighter who beat what was there in the 135, 140, and 147 pound divisions.

Going up two divisions to challenge Canelo for his undisputed super middleweight championship will be a challenging task that Crawford has no preparation for.

He said today during the New York press conference that he won’t be “running,” but that might be his only hope. He has to use his jab-and-move style, which has been his bread and butter throughout much of his career.

Avoiding “Tom and Jerry” Performance

Crawford is going to have to limit some of his movement if he wants to stay on Turki Alalshikh’s good side. He can’t afford to turn in a non-engaging, Tom and Jerry performance where he’s booed out of the ring on September 13th at Allegiant Stadium. This is Las Vegas, and fans there don’t put up with runners without letting them know how they feel.

“I say, why not? All the greats do things that people think are impossible,” said Terence Crawford during today’s New York press conference when asked why he skipped the 160-lb division, going from 154 to 168 to challenge Canelo Alvarez for his four belts.

Crawford’s Tools to Beat Canelo

“Within myself, I have the confidence, the skill, and I got all the tools to beat Canelo. So, why not?” said Crawford.

Max Kellerman’s question was, Why did Crawford skip the 160-lb division after his narrow victory over Israil Madrimov in his debut at 154 last August. Crawford chose not to answer the question because it’s obvious why he didn’t want to fight in that weight class first. He might lose.