Olympic bronze medalist Omari Jones is backing Terence Crawford to shock the boxing world and hand Canelo Alvarez a rare loss. Speaking to TMZ Sports, the 22-year-old fighter said he believes Crawford’s or “Bud” move up to 168 pounds has been calculated and disciplined, giving him a legitimate shot at victory.
2024 Olympic Bronze Medalist, Omari Jones improves to (3-0) with his third straight finish 💥 #RodriguezCafu pic.twitter.com/MtVAo3HX1d
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“It looks like he put it on the right way,” Jones said, praising Crawford’s approach to gaining weight. “The nutrition, the training, Crawford trains hard. It’s gonna be a little bit different for Canelo this time because Crawford took the move up seriously.”
Jones also highlighted Crawford’s relentless mentality. “His competitiveness is always gonna put him over the edge,” he said. Jones, who turned professional earlier this year and has knocked out all three of his opponents, knows a thing or two about stepping into the ring against tough competition.
Crawford’s motivation and the Canelo challenge
The September 13 showdown at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas will be streamed worldwide on Netflix, marking a major shift for the sport’s broadcast model. Crawford, who boasts a 41-0 record with wins over Errol Spence Jr., Shawn Porter, Amir Khan, and Kell Brook, sees this bout as another chance to prove himself on the biggest stage.
The Omaha native admitted he felt slighted by Canelo’s recent remarks questioning the strength of his past opponents. “It definitely irritated me,” Crawford told reporter Dan Rafael. “I can say so much about his résumé and the guys he has fought, but I’d rather focus on him as a fighter and forget all the other people he fought before me.”
While critics argue that his victory over Spence was his only generation-defining fight, Crawford enters the ring confident and hungry. He views the Netflix deal as a positive change for boxing, moving away from costly pay-per-view events toward broader accessibility.
“You don’t need to pay a PPV price to watch the NBA or NFL,” he said. “We can get back to that. I think boxing will be back where it used to be back in the day.”
The boxing world will find out soon if Jones’ prediction holds true, but one thing that's for certain is Terence Crawford is approaching this fight like the biggest of his career.
