There’s still a little ways to go before Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford step into the ring for one of the most highly anticipated fights in recent boxing history. The odds are on Canelo’s side due to the bout being fought at his natural weight. Crawford is a special boxer, though, and has plenty of merit to pull it off. But there might be a precedent that signals he may not.
Media personality and boxing commentator Max Kellerman spoke with Ring Magazine during a Canelo-Crawford event this past week, and he drew an interesting parallel for the fight: Marvin Hagler vs. Roberto Duran in 1983. If it plays out similarly, Crawford could be in trouble not only on fight night, but also for the rest of his career.
Could Canelo vs. Crawford play out like Marvin Hagler vs. Roberto Duran?
“Duran was a lightweight. He was moving all the way up, eventually to middleweight. [Hagler] was the man at middleweight, just like Canelo is the man at super middleweight. Duran moved up from junior middle to middle, but he started at light just like Crawford.“
The similarity is certainly there in terms of Crawford moving up weight classes to get to this point. Kellerman also recalls the Hagler-Duran fight not going as originally expected.
“Heading into that fight, I thought, ‘Hagler is going to kill him. He’s too big.’ That fight was nip and tuck all the way, and Hagler had to outwork him in the 15th round to get a decision.“
Despite Duran giving Hagler a run for his money, he lost by unanimous decision. More concerning is what happened after that. Duran got knocked out in the second round of his subsequent fight, then lost several bouts against elite competition while boxing until 50 years old. Duran was never really the same after his move-up in weight and loss to Hagler.
It could prove as a cautionary tale for Crawford, although there is something different about their situations. Duran had lost three times in the three years prior to the Hagler fight. Crawford still hasn’t lost yet.
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