On of the most anticipated fights in modern boxing continues heating up: Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford vs Saúl ‘Canelo’ Álvarez on September 13 of this year will surely have the fireworks that it is promising. The fight announcement alone has electrified the sport, but comments from former heavyweight champions Shannon Briggs have taken the hype to another level.
In a recent interview with ‘Fight Hype’, Briggs was emphatic, “Crawford all day! Crawford all day. He might stop him…I’m rarely wrong”, he said. “He’s gonna stop him, knock out!”. This aligns with Brigg’s reputation for aggresive predictions; his confidence apparently stems from Crawford’s polished boxing skills and fading atrophy in late rounds when facing savvy opponents.
Why Briggs believes Crawford can stop Canelo
Briggs thinks Crawford’s versatility and ability to box both ways will be key. According to him, Canelo has shown vulnerability in being outboxed, and that’s where Crawford can shine, “He is going to box him, he can fight both ways, he is going to trick him up…in the late rounds, Crawford might have something for him”.
Those late rounds could tilt the fight, particularly as Crawford moves up two weight divisions, stepping into super-middleweight territory (168 lb) where he’s never competed. Still, Briggs argues that Crawford’s pedigree, an unbeaten 41-0 with 31 KOs, gives him the power and strategy to finish strong.
What’s at stake in Canelo vs Crawford?
This isn’t just any regular friday night fight. Saúl ‘Canelo’ Álvarez, the reigning undisputed super-middleweight champions (63-2-2, 39 KOs), is defending crowns at WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO, Ring, and TBRB titles. Crawford, meanwhile, is seeking to become the first male fighter in the four-belt era to become undisputed in three divisions, with victories in welterweight, light-middleweight, and now super-middleweight.
Briggs’s prediction isn’t just hype. It’s personal, he’s known Crawford for most of the fighter’s life, and he believes that pedigree, coupled with ring IQ and late-round conditioning, gives Crawford the edge. Whether Canelo’s iron chin and champion’s experience will counter, that remains to be seen. Shannon Brigg’s knockout prediction adds an extra layer of intrigue to an already historic matchup. If Crawford delivers the late-round stoppage Briggs expects, it would be a seismic shift in boxing history.
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