Shakur Stevenson believes Terence Crawford will beat Canelo Alvarez and “make it a very easy fight” when they meet in September.

WBC lightweight champion Stevenson said he's been saying for years that he thinks Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) will beat Canelo. He says Canelo can't walk through Crawford's punches because he thinks he can punch “at any weight class.”

Crawford didn't look strong in his 154 debut against Israel Madrimov and couldn't hit him with his best shots. Madrimov looked like he was doing more dangerous, and he wasn't loading up on his punches like he usually does.

“Easy work” for the bud?

“I've been saying this for years now. I'm probably the first one to say it, even before Terence said it. I always thought that his (Crawford) style vs. Canelo, I think he beat Canelo,” Shakur Stevenson said. TalkSport Boxing About his belief that Crawford will beat Canelo. “I'm not saying it will be an easy fight, but he can make it a very easy fight.”

“I ran into Terence in Dubai, and he's really fat. He has become fat lately. He's 38 years old,” says Gareth A. Davies, making Crawford look older. “He's thickened.”

“That's another matter. I don't think Canelo walks with his punches. Terence can punch, and that goes for any weight class,” Shakur said.

The way Shakur makes it sound, Crawford will be standing in the pocket going into the fight with Canelo in September. That's not realistic, considering how Crawford has traditionally struggled when facing punchers. He moves a lot, jabbing and jumping to land punches.

Terrance doesn't stay in one spot or attack in an all-out blitz. He fought aggressively against Errol Spence, but that was because he was fighting a guy who was a shell of his former self after his car accident.

To tune up, or not?

“It will be a little over a year (13 months). If you're going to fight above 160 pounds, you have to be very careful, because it's a new weight range,” Chris Mannix said. YouTube Terence Crawford needs to be careful to stay sharp for his September fight against Canelo Alvarez.

It's doubtful Crawford would take a risk by tuning up against a super middleweight to get his feet wet before fighting Canelo in September. If Terrence fights in a weight class, it will be at a catchweight, probably against a middleweight that comes in at 163 or 164.

I can see Crawford fighting one of these middleweights at a catchweight around 164: Aaron McKenna, Liam Smith, Austin Williams, or Kieron Davis. These guys aren't a threat to beat Crawford, and they're ranked lower at middleweight.

“Only fought once at 154. I am sure he can gain weight. He is a tall man. I'm sure he can fill out his frame quite well,” Mannix said of Crawford. “You have to be careful who you elect. You can't choose a puncher. You can't really elect someone dangerous. You can't risk that bread (for the Canelo fight).

“Remember when Oscar (De La Hoya) fought Stevie Forbes before he fought Mayweather?” Mannix said.

It would be a shock if Crawford takes a tune-up fight because he doesn't want to risk money on a Canelo fight and he's comfortable fighting once a year.

Crawford hasn't been active in five years, and he certainly isn't going to now that he's on the verge of earning a career-high retirement salary against Alvarez.