I masterminded Dmitry Bivol’s win over Canelo Alvarez – Terence Crawford stands no chance

There are few better placed to cast their verdict on Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford’s upcoming clash than Joel Diaz.

The esteemed trainer masterminded Dmitry Bivol‘s dominant unanimous decision victory over Canelo in May 2022 before coming up short against Crawford last August when he cornered Israil Madrimov in Los Angeles.

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But despite having first-hand experience of Crawford’s undeniable brilliance, Diaz doesn’t give ‘Bud’ a chance against Canelo.

“Canelo should win,” Diaz told Ring Magazine.

“I see Canelo beating Crawford by a convincing decision. There is no way Crawford beats Canelo.

“Canelo is the king of the sport, and business-wise, Canelo can’t lose. If Canelo loses, boxing loses a lot of prestige.

“But don’t get me wrong, Crawford is one of my favourite fighters and pound-for-pound the best of this era.

“The fight will be interesting and back and forth for the first four rounds.

“Canelo has been hit by heavy hitters and never even flinched.

“As soon as Canelo feels that Crawford doesn’t have what it takes to hurt him, Canelo is going to walk him down.

“Crawford will make it a fight and fight back, but he’s a smart fighter and will play it safe once he’s hurt – that’s when Canelo will take over.

“Crawford is not going to be exchanging punches with Canelo in the middle of the ring.

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“We’ve seen Crawford get buckled before, and believe me, Canelo hits harder than Yuriorkis Gamboa and Egidijus Kavaliauskas.”

Crawford opens up as a slight underdog heading into their Las Vegas showdown at the Allegiant Stadium on September 13.

The bookies’ backing of Canelo is understandable given the size disparity between the pair.

Crawford, who has never boxed above super welterweight (154lbs), is set to move up two weight classes to challenge Canelo for his undisputed super middleweight (168lbs) crown.

He will do so without the aid of a rehydration clause, making the feat of beating Canelo all the more impressive should he pull it off.

If Crawford is able to overcome the odds stacked against him, then he will likely leapfrog Naoya Inoue and Oleksandr Usyk to the top spot in the pound-for-pound rankings.

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A triumph would make him the first male three-weight undisputed champion of the four-belt era.

Inoue and Usyk are currently tied with Crawford at two separate weight classes.