BATTLE PLAN: TERENCE CRAWFORD
fight could be won and lost. Crawford needs to be hyper-focused on not getting caught by something big in the early rounds. He must also put his ego in check early in the fight and not get into a battle of machismo during the first few rounds; Crawford has to respect what his opponent can do in the ring. “Crawford will have to be very careful [of] Canelo’s explosive outbursts,” said Edwards, “because he can knock Crawford out if he hits him clean. Canelo has really brutal one-punch power. And he can really hurt you if he hits you clean, especially early. I would emphasize that Crawford will have to be very aware and be very alert in the first few rounds. He can’t be greedy with his offense early, because Canelo, who is a master counterpuncher, is going to be looking for a big shot – not necessarily to knock him out but to put Crawford in his place, into a retreat mode. That could change the whole fight if Canelo is successful with a big shot early.” Offensively, Edwards would prepare Crawford to do something that few Canelo opponents have ever had success with: Go to Canelo’s body. In Breadman’s eyes, Crawford has the long reach and the variety of shots needed to find the target, which could further deplete Canelo’s gas tank and punch volume, making it that much more apparent to the judges as to who is dictating the ring action. “Crawford is the most underrated body-puncher of this era,” said Edwards. “When we talk about great body-punchers of today, we mention Canelo’s left hook to the body. We talk about Inoue. But because Crawford doesn’t have a signature body punch, he gets overlooked. But he’s one of the few guys in this era who can counterpunch to a guy’s body. If you look at the Shawn Porter fight, he landed some great body shots in the second half of the fight that helped set up the knockout. He counterpunched to the body against [Julius] Indongo and knocked him out. Crawford’s
body-punching reminds me of Mike McCallum’s, because it’s subtle. He goes to the body with both hands. He may not get the credit for it because he doesn’t have that one signature shot, but he’s brutal to the body.” TACTICS ON FIGHT NIGHT The fight is a story of two halves for Breadman. He would want Crawford to keep it simple early in the fight; he doesn’t want him to open up and risk getting hit with a big shot. He wants Crawford to be stingy, utilize his ring I.Q. and rely on his athleticism. “I would tell Crawford to not over-punch or overdo it early,” said Edwards. “If I’m Crawford, I would move, not over-move, but move. Make Canelo pick up his feet. Try to score points early and not sit down on anything big, because I think that Canelo’s best chance to win the fight would be to hit Crawford with a big shot early. “Just land a jab and break even after the first half of the fight. If it’s three rounds apiece going into the second half of the fight, Crawford’s in the driver’s seat.” The second half of the fight is where Edwards believes that Crawford’s advantages will be able to manifest more fully. By the seventh, Crawford will have made his adjustments as to which stance works best and which punches Canelo is vulnerable to. He will also have seen enough of what Canelo is throwing back in return and can adjust accordingly. As the fight progresses, Crawford will have more opportunities to be expansive with his offense. He will have his pick of weapons to deplete, punish and frustrate Canelo. Edwards emphasizes that Crawford must mix in a body attack in the second half. Those body shots, especially late in the fight, will dissuade Canelo from getting too bold toward the end of the match. Crawford will need to make Canelo hesitant. Jabs, movement, long- range power punches and unexpected body shots will do the trick.
TEAM CRAWFORD
BoMac keeps keeps a watchful eye on Bud.
Terence Crawford has an unusual training scenario. He has three longtime trainers who all work together as a team. They have been together for well over a decade and originally coalesced in Omaha, Nebraska. Led by Brian “BoMac” McIntyre , Crawford’s team also involves Esau Dieguez and Red Spikes . In a 2024 interview with Andre Ward for the All the Smoke podcast, McIntyre explained the division of labor between the three trainers. McIntyre is the lead cornerman on fight night. He also prepares the master game plan. Dieguez specifically emphasizes Crawford’s inside fighting skills during training camp. Spikes’ focus is on Crawford’s movement, flow and rhythm in the ring. Although the three have different responsibilities during fight camp, it is a collaborative effort, with all having the confidence and respect of one another to make suggestions and voice disagreements. McIntyre, however, stated in the interview that Crawford is the ultimate boss during training camp. McIntyre
wasn’t using “boss” in a pejorative sense, but he acknowledged that Crawford, at this elevated point of his career, is the one who calls the shots. And it is Crawford just as often as the trainers who makes suggestions or alterations during camp. As a group, McIntyre and his team are known for the ability to break down opponents, to find weaknesses and to make tough fights on paper look easy. Among their most notable victories were Crawford’s dismantling of Errol Spence Jr. and Chris Eubank Jr.’s rematch victory over Liam Smith, where Team McIntyre was able to reverse the knockout from the first encounter (in which McIntyre wasn’t the trainer). In the rematch, it was Eubank who was dominant in getting the stoppage win. Other notable fighters for the team include Keyshawn Davis and Troy Isley.
How big to be on fight night will be an important choice for Crawford.
go into survival mode, he’ll just let them survive. When something keeps happening over and over again, it’s not just a coincidence. It’s a trend. It’s where he’s at in his career right now.” HOW TO PREPARE CRAWFORD Edwards would advise Crawford should come into the fight at a weight where he feels his best. He doesn’t want Crawford to sacrifice any of his athletic advantages by being too heavy in the ring. He believes that what a fighter weighs the night of the fight is even more important than his official weigh- in tally.
In a perfect world, he would want Crawford not to be much higher than 170 pounds the night of the fight, and he would want him to be around 160- 162 pounds for the official weigh-in. He thinks that anything higher would be giving up Crawford’s inherent advantages. Edwards’ major points of emphasis would be Crawford’s defense and awareness of the overall game plan. He wants Crawford to know where the
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