Canelo’s Legacy Would Be ‘Massively’ Tarnished By Crawford Loss, Says Algieri

Chris Algieri believes that a loss for Canelo Alvarez against Terence Crawford will “tarnish his legacy” for good. He will have lost to a former lightweight champion, who is moving up two divisions at 37 on September 13th.

Algieri believes that the loss for Canelo (63-2-2, 39 KOs) would fan the flames for the criticism he’s already receiving for ducking certain fighters during his career. He shouldn’t lose to someone as old, inactive, and small as Crawford. The difference in resumes between the two fighters is massive. Crawford has an Adrien Broner-type resume. Canelo has fought opposition that is actually good, fighters like Gennadiy Golovkin, Dmitry Bivol, Floyd Mayweather Jr., and Erislandy Lara.

The Massive Tarnish on Canelo’s Legacy

“The guy may do it, and if he loses, I don’t really think it affects his legacy all that much. All the accomplishments that he already has, Crawford. They’re not going to be forgotten. He’s jumping up two weight classes,” said Chris Algieri to Fight Hub TV, talking about there being no downside for Terence Crawford going up against Canelo Alvarez on September 13th.

Crawford’s accomplishments aren’t much if you look at his resume. He’s a four-division world champion and a two-division undisputed champion. His actual wins aren’t impressive at all if you follow the sport and understand who is good. He beat B-level fighters. The only A-level guy Crawford beat was Israil Madrimov, and that was controversial.

“So, I think it’s a win-win, loss-loss situation for these guys. A win-win for Crawford, and a lose-lose for Canelo. That’s a great point made by Crawford. That’s a good way to get under Canelo’s skin,” said Algieri. “Yeah, there is a lot on the line for Canelo because if he loses this, the tarnish on his legacy is massive. He lost to a welterweight. He lost to a lightweight. He was a lightweight world champion.”

The $100 Million Canelo Payday

Canelo knows it’s a no-win situation. That’s why he didn’t want to fight Crawford in the first place. The only reason he chose to is because Turki Alalshikh lured him with a career-high $100 million payday. So, if Alvarez loses, the money will be a salve for his wounded feelings. He can drown his sorrows with the mega-millions and invent reasons why he was beaten.

“He [Crawford] jumped up two weight classes. He was 30 years old [correction: 37, pushing 38 on September 28]. There’s going to be a lot of that. A lot of the criticism Canelo has been receiving lately, for not fighting certain guys, is going to come back to haunt him that much more,” said Algieri.

A loss to Crawford will show fans that Alvarez hasn’t improved since his loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2013. He was gifted decisions over Gennadiy Golovkin and Erislandy Lara. He waited until GGG was 36 before he finally fought him. Losing to an old Crawford, who should have lost his last fight against Israil Madrimov, would prove the theories fans have about Canelo being a pampered, protected fighter.

“I like Canelo, but he gets a lot of heat out there. So, I think a loss here is going to be a lot more. A loss here is going to fan those flames,” said Algieri.

Crawford Fight Shouldn’t Happen

The criticism Canelo has been getting won’t go away regardless of how good he looks against Crawford. Fans won’t let him forget that he’s swerved David Benavidez, David Morrell, Diego Pacheco, and Christian Mbilli. Fighting an old, small Crawford, who is coming off an abysmal performance in his debut at 154 last year, won’t take that away. This fight should not even be happening if boxing were regulated like other sports.