Terence Crawford's punching power might surprise Canelo Alvarez if they meet in the ring. That's the warning from undefeated super-middleweight Steven Nelson, who says Crawford hits harder than heavyweights he's faced.
Crawford recently added a fourth weight class to his world champion status. He moved up to 154lbs in August and beat Israil Madrimov to grab the WBA super-welterweight title. The fight went the distance, but Crawford got the nod from the judges.
Now, there's talk of Crawford jumping up again to 168lbs to face Canelo Alvarez. Some fans worry Crawford won't pack enough of a punch at that weight. But Nelson, who's 20-0 at super-middleweight, thinks differently.
Nelson told Fighthype in a recent interview:
"In sparring or in a fight, Bud cracked me hardest than anybody."
Nelson's sparred with heavyweights, so that's saying something. He explained why Crawford's power is so special:
"It's not about how much muscle you've got. Bud knows how to punch and how to hit you in certain spots with certain timing, it hurts. He'll lure you to sleep. Anybody I ever sparred or fought, Bud hit me hardest. It's not about size, it's about how you punch and when you punch."
Crawford's last fight was a ninth-round stoppage of Errol Spence Jr back in July 2023. Spence has also weighed in on how a Crawford-Canelo fight might go, but we'll have to wait and see if this dream match-up comes together.
