Manny Pacquiao believes Terence Crawford must focus on speed, style and strength when he locks horns with Canelo Alvarez.
Crawford will meet Canelo for the undisputed super middleweight titles in September in what has been billed as the ‘fight of the century.’
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Mexican great Canelo defeated William Scull last month to unify the latter’s IBF title with his own WBA, WBC, and WBO belts.
Crawford, meanwhile, is the reigning WBA super welterweight title holder, and one of three male boxers, alongside Oleksandr Usyk and Naoya Inoue, to have achieved undisputed supremacy in two separate weight classes in the four-belt era.
As part of his lucrative deal with Saudi Arabia, Canelo’s victory over Scull thrust him straight into position to take on Crawford, who is moving up two weight divisions for the fight.
Hall of Famer Pacquiao made these types of transitions seamlessly during his heyday as a legendary multi-weight world champion.
The 46-year-old arrived in Los Angeles, California, this week to begin his training camp for a remarkable boxing comeback against WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios.
He was greeted by hundreds of members of the public and the media, who managed to get his thoughts on Canelo vs Crawford.
“Good for Canelo,” Pacquiao said when speaking to Fight Hype.
He then didn’t hesitate to share his priceless advice to ‘Bud’ ahead of his upcoming blockbuster bout.
“My advice to [Crawford] is to focus on speed. The speed and the style, and also the strength.”
Millions around the world will tune in for Canelo vs Crawford on September 12, but Pacquiao may just match their pay-per-view numbers in his return to the squared circle.
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WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman confirmed just weeks ago that the Filipino boxing legend would be fighting for his sanctioning body’s world title at the age of 46.
He takes on Barrios on July 19 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Pacquiao is working alongside renowned coach Freddie Roach for his comeback fight.
He posted fresh footage of him in camp this week, letting his hands loose with some crisp shots.
However, most boxing enthusiasts came to the conclusion that ‘Pac Man’ is going to suffer a nasty KO defeat, given Barrios is 16 years his junior and the fresher fighter.
Many of the fears from fans have stemmed from his last fight in July 2024, where he was beaten up in an exhibition bout by Japanese kickboxer Rukiya Anpo.
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Nevertheless, the fight will be a spectacle in one way or another, just like Canelo vs Crawford.
UFC CEO Dana White has originally been put in charge to organise the super fight.
He was appointed the lead promoter for the showdown under the TKO boxing banner, handing the 55-year-old his first mega boxing card following his huge success in MMA with the UFC.
However, Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh confirmed that White would no longer be promoting the event and it is now being led by Sela for Riyadh Season instead.
Alalshikh had initially announced that the fight would take place at the Allegiant Stadium, which is home to NFL team Las Vegas Raiders.
But, the state-of-the-art venue is booked up for a college football game on the same day, and according to Ring Magazine, the broadcaster and venue for the event are yet to be decided upon.
