Mike Tyson has told Terence Crawford to stop chasing a fight with Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez.
Crawford wants to make history. The 36-year-old from Omaha believes a fight with Canelo will cement his legacy. He's ready to jump up two weight classes to make it happen. Crawford sees it as the only thing left to add to his already impressive career. Word is, Canelo might get an offer soon and could say yes if the money's right.
But Tyson doesn't like the idea. He shared his thoughts on the It Is What It Is podcast:
"You know, I don't like that fight. I don't like that fight. It's just too much weight. He had a close fight with the last guy he fought [Madrimov] cause this guy was big and he was awkward."
Instead, Tyson suggests Crawford looks at other options:
"I want to see him fight one of the Charlo brothers. Or the young brother from Philadelphia, I forgot his name. Ennis. And I want to see Boots Ennis fight one of the Charlo brothers then come back down [in weight.] That's what they used to do, Sugar Ray Leonard, those guys, they used to go up in weight, fight a guy then give the belt back and come back just to show they could win. There's no ego in boxing now. They just talking s**t, but there's no real ego. Ego's going after this motherf***er."
Jermell Charlo, who fights at super-welterweight, lost to Canelo last September and hasn't fought since. His brother Jermall, a middleweight, beat Jose Benavidez Jr in November after two years away from the ring. He hasn't fought this year and has had some problems outside the ring.
'Boots' Ennis is the current welterweight world champion and has said he'd move up to face Crawford. It's a fight many fans want to see.
Tyson thinks these fights make more sense for Crawford. He wants to see boxers show real ego by taking on tough challenges at different weights, like the legends of the past.