Turki Al-Sheikh’s match between unified super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez and  Terence Crawford on September 13th could turn out to be a disappointing affair that will leave fans feeling silly for having spent their money on this bizarre fight.

Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) turns 38 in September, and he looked average at best in his move from 147 to 154 after a year layoff last year in August, barely beating Israil Madrimov in a fight that could have gone the other way.

Chasing The Green

Now, we’re expected to believe that Crawford can move up two more divisions after another year’s layoff to beat Canelo (62-2-2, 39 KOs). It sounds like a rip-off, similar to Canelo’s PPV fights against Edgar Berlanga and Jermell Charlo.

What Crawford has going against him:

– One-year layoff
– No experience at 168
– Two-division jump
– Age: 38 in September
– Lackluster performance at 154
– Moving up for the wrong reasons: Money

“I think Terence Crawford wins it on points in a brilliant fight,” said Gareth A. Davies to talkSport Boxing, predicting a win for Terence Crawford over Canelo Alvarez on September 13th.

“I think Terence is daring to be great. He’s stepping up a couple of weight divisions to take on the man that’s dominated the division for so long,” said Spencer Oliver. “I think stylistically, Terence has got it and I think he fits into the size well. He’s a big guy that boils down to welterweight and super welterweight.

“I think he’ll go up there, and I think he’ll win the fight. Canelo’s style has adapted [changed due to age] somewhat now, where he used to throw punches in bunches. He now loads up with single shots and I think that the movement, the angles, the hand speed, and the boxing IQ of Terence Crawford wins in a fantastic fight,” said Spencer.

A victory for Crawford would be more believable if he had at least one fight at 168 to show how he would fare in this division because he’s moving up two divisions without any experience. It’s a two-division jump at age 38 after a 13-month layoff and a lackluster performance in his debut at 154 last August. Those are the only problems.