Oleksandr Usyk Reveals Surprising Pick for Crawford-Canelo Showdown: "He's Crazy"

Terence Crawford wants to fight Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez, and Oleksandr Usyk thinks Crawford would win. The unified heavyweight champion shared his thoughts on the potential matchup recently.

Crawford's had a great year. He beat Errol Spence Jr in a career-defining fight, moved up to super-welterweight, and won the WBA belt against Israil Madrimov in his first fight at the new weight. Now, he's got his sights set on Canelo, the unified super-middleweight champion.

But the fight might not happen. Turki Alalshikh, who represents Riyadh Season, says he's not interested in backing it financially anymore. He even thinks Crawford might not fight again if he can't get Canelo in the ring.

Alalshikh said:

"I don't think Crawford will fight anyone except Canelo. This is my opinion. This is what I feel, but it is about him. We gave him an offer for [Vergil] Ortiz and I don't know if he will take it or not. We have an agreement to do a big fight for Ortiz if Crawford doesn't take the fight … But I don't think [Crawford] will take it. I think he only wants Canelo. I understand that. I respect all the fighters."

Despite all this, Usyk thinks Crawford would come out on top if the fight happens. He shared his thoughts on the 3 Knockdown Rule podcast:

"I like Terence. He's a crazy man. Terence win. Listen, Terence is different man. Terence works on two sides. Right and left, he's very smart man. He feels distance and space. Canelo big, yeah, good boxer, but I say, Terence. Terence can box him like a big guy."

Usyk believes Crawford's skills on both sides, his smarts, and his ability to control distance and space give him the edge. He thinks Crawford can handle Canelo's size and box him effectively.

While this dream fight remains up in the air, Canelo's got his next bout lined up. He'll face unbeaten Edgar Berlanga on September 14.