Xander Zayas, a extremely ranked junior middleweight contender, says Terence Crawford will get bullied by among the larger fighters at 154 if he mixes it with them.
Crawford’s Limitations Uncovered
Zayas notes that Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) had been strolling down fighters whereas competing at 135, 140, and 147, however he couldn’t do this as a lot in his debut towards WBA junior middleweight champion Israil Madrimov on August third in Los Angeles.
Xander doesn’t say which fighters would bully Crawford, however he’s in all probability pondering of those potential bullies:
- Sebastian Fundora
- Vergil Ortiz Jr.
- Serhii Bohachuk
- Tim Tszyu
- Charles Conwell
- Erickson Lubin
- Brian Mendoza
- Israil Madrimov: *If Madrimov fights aggressively within the rematch, Crawford can be in a world of damage.
Crawford, 36, was getting tagged repeatedly by highly effective proper arms from Madrimov, and his photographs didn’t carry the identical power as that they had when combating at 147. He received solely as a result of Madrimov did not combat as aggressively as he wanted in rounds eight by twelve.
The combat uncovered Crawford as having reached his ceiling at 154 of what he’s able to, and he received’t have the ability to transcend the division to succeed at 160 or 168. Crawford is just too small, previous, and weak to compete at 154, particularly towards a fighter like Canelo Alvarez. That’s the man that Crawford needs in what can be seen as a gloried movie star match.
“147, he was strolling guys down, at 140 and 135; not a lot at 154, and [Israil] Madrimov shouldn’t be the most important man at 154,” stated Xander Zayas to the Secondsout YouTube channel, reacting to Terence Crawford’s unimpressive debut at junior middleweight towards WBA champion Israil Madrimov on August third.
A Harmful Division
What we witnessed from Crawford within the Madrimov combat was him reaching his restrict and age beginning to present as effectively. It’s a witch’s brew involving Crawford’s age, inactivity, and combating above his capabilities. We knew Crawford would attain his restrict as soon as he grew to become too formidable, however I didn’t assume he would wait this lengthy to maneuver up lastly.
Crawford, a Nebraska native, ought to have achieved this years in the past as a result of he’s been spinning his wheels at 147, locked out of the necessary fights, and caught defending his WBO trinket towards low-level opposition.
“It’s completely different, completely different waters. I’m not saying he [Crawford] may have bother towards lots of people, however there are a few of us which might be large enough that we will bully a bit bit greater than different fighters,” stated Zayas on what Crawford will take care of if he mixes it up with among the larger, stronger fighters within the 154-lb division.
If Crawford stays round to combat the larger and braver 154-pounders, he’ll begin shedding, and he’ll be compelled to retire.
On the intense facet, no less than he may have examined his limits as an alternative of giving up after one combat towards Madrimov, which appears to have scared him away from venturing additional into the shark-invested 154-lb waters. It’s a harmful place for older fighters, particularly after they solely combat yearly like Crawford.
