On August 3, 2024, Terence Crawford became the four-division world champion by defeating Israil Madrimov and clinched the WBA Light Middleweight title. With that victory, ‘Bud’ has achieved almost everything except a fight against the biggest boxer, Canelo Alvarez. Over the years, talks of a potential match-up have resurfaced regularly, before fizzling out quickly.

The Nebraska native has made his desire to fight Canelo clearly evident. Even his move up from welterweight is believed to be in hopes of a Canelo Alvarez fight. However, ‘Cinnamon’ has expressed his reservations about the match because of the weight disparity between these two. The 62-2-2 boxer stated that Crawford looked out of place against Madrimov and should return to his original weight class, as the fight between them would be a big mismatch.

However, rising welterweight prospect for Golden Boy Promotions, Alexis Rocha, who has sparred with both Canelo and Crawford, has concerns about their matchup. He praised ‘Bud’ for his performance at 154, and also expressed his reservations about Canelo Alvarez, even predicting the result of the potential matchup.

Terence Crawford deserves all the props

The 27-year-old came on an interview with ES News. Rocha opened up about his experience of sparring with both Canelo and Crawford. He accepted the fact that “Canelo is the best of the best,” but also showed his concerns for the unified super middleweight champion stating, “But he is also getting old,” and might not have much time remaining at the top.

Coming to ‘Bud’, Rocha explained how the 37-year-old, despite being older than Canelo Alvarez, does not get the props he deserves. According to the California native, “I think Madrimov is one of the best 154-pounders out there,” and to defeat him in his first match at the super welterweight division is an impressive feat for Terence Crawford.

“No one knows of Israil Madrimov, but if you see him, pay attention to him, you see the awkwardness, you see the strength. That guy is freaking strong,” stated Rocha. Just to defeat him in a title match, in your first fight at 154, is an impressive task which Crawford did pretty well.

The 25-2 boxer then shifted his focus to the potential matchup between Crawford and Alvarez and shared his prediction for the winner.

Canelo Alvarez has experience going for him

Rocha, who has sparred with both Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford, shared an interesting and deeply analyzed result of the fight. The California native stated that the weight classes are there for a reason and ‘Cinnamon’ is much bigger than Crawford. But as the undefeated Nebraska native has proven time and time again, he can challenge anyone no matter the size.

While defending Crawford for wanting the fight, he explained, “He (Crawford) also has a good size to him where… he has that reach, he has that boxing IQ—that’s the most important thing when it comes to the boxing game. I think Crawford will hold his own very well in that fight.”

However, he still chose the unified middleweight champion to come out on top over Crawford. He added, “I will lean a little more towards Canelo given the fact that he’s more experienced and he has been in there with bigger guys.”

It is not the first time that someone has shared their prediction regarding this dream fight. Over the years, the idea of the Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford fight has divided the fans and even the experts. One would only get a definite answer when these two will face each other in the ring. However, at this point, that fight looks more like a dream than a reality.

Who do you think will win between Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford? Let us know your thoughts down below.