Terence Crawford’s Power Questioned: Why Didn’t He Stop Israil Madrimov At 154?

Keyshawn Davis claims Terence Crawford can “stop anybody” in the sport with his power, skills, and IQ. He’s picking the 37-year-old Crawford to beat undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez on September 13th, but not necessarily stop him.

Is Canelo Still in Prime?

Davis says Canelo is still in his prime at 35, and if Crawford beats him, it makes him “Super great.” He doesn’t say the greatest of all time. Fans see Canelo as on the decline, and he has been on a long retirement tour since his loss to Dmitry Bivol in 2022.

For Keyshawn to say that Crawford would be “super great” for beating Canelo makes him sound naive, and gives one the impression that he’s carrying water for Terence. Canelo almost lost his last fight against William Scull, throwing only 152 punches during the entire 12-round fight on May 3rd.

“I think Bud can stop anybody. I think he’s got the power, the speed, and the IQ. I think he’s got the skill and the ability to do it,” said Keyshawn Davis to Sean Zittel when asked if Terence Crawford has the ability to knock out Canelo Alvarez on September 13th.

If Crawford could “stop anybody,” why didn’t he knock out Israil Madrimov last August? What happened there? He doesn’t have the power to knock out fighters at 154 and higher. He doesn’t hit hard enough to stop fighters above 147. Even at welterweight, Crawford wouldn’t knock out Jaron Ennis. It would be the other way around.

“He’s still in there with a guy that’s not trying to let him do it. What I can say is Bud is going to beat him,” said Keyshawn about his belief that Crawford will beat Canelo. “When and if Bud does stop him, Bud is super great. He just getting that win, he’s super great. But I can’t be just saying he’s going to stop Canelo.”

Beating the shell of the worn-out, depleted 20-year pro, Canelo doesn’t make Crawford “great.” It just means he was a vulture and picked his weakened, vulnerable prey at the right time, just like he did when he fought Errol Spence after his car crash.

You didn’t hear Crawford calling out Spence or Canelo when they were firing on all eight cylinders. Crawford hasn’t uttered a peep about fighting David Benavidez, Jaron Ennis, or Dmitry Bivol. You know why? They’re all too good for him, and he can’t take advantage of age or ring wear.

Canelo’s Recent Fight Struggles

“Canelo is still out here, his best Canelo. But ain’t nobody saying, ‘Oh, you ain’t fighting the best Canelo because he don’t got the same love for the sport.’ Nah. We’ll, I ain’t seen that. That’s probably discrediting Scull,” said Keyshawn told that boxing fans are saying that Canelo is no longer at his best after his performance against former IBF super middleweight champion William Scull on May 3rd.

Nah, Canelo is on the decline. He’s basically washed up and has been since 2022. His fight against William Scull showed fans how much Alvarez has lost from his game, with him laboring to a decision, and looking like he’s in his early 40s. Crawford is shot, too, though, but not quite as badly. His fight against Israil Madrimov showed that he’s got nothing left, which is why he chose not to mess with any of the other fighters at 154.

Crawford knew he would lose if he fought Vergil Ortiz Jr., Bakhram Murtazaliev, and Sebastian Fundora. He didn’t want to fight the middleweight champions Janibek Alimkhanuly and Carlos Adames.

Keyshawn’s argument that the 35-year-old Canelo is still in his prime sounds like he’s trying to ensure that his friend, Crawford, gets full credit if he’s victorious against the Mexican star. He’s not going to get 100% credit because Alvarez has not looked impressive in his last three fights against Scull, Edgar Berlanga, and Jaime Munguia. The 20-year period of Canelo’s prime was from 2015 to 2018.

Elite Opponents Crawford Needs

David Benavidez
Dmitry Bivol
Artur Beterbiev
David Morrell

“Y’all fight fans, y’all don’t know in the ring fighting. Y’all know boxing, but y’all don’t know in-the-ring fighting. As much as y’all think y’all know, y’all don’t,” said Davis.