Jermall Charlo has questioned whether Terence Crawford has the motivation to beat Canelo Alvarez.
Crawford will move up two weight classes to challenge Canelo for the undisputed super middleweight championship on September 13 in Las Vegas, with a venue still to be confirmed.
Canelo has already defeated Charlo’s twin brother Jermell on points in September 2023 and the Texan believes ‘Bud’ may lack the ambition to win.
“Crawford going up there to fight Canelo at ’68 when he’s not a ’68 pounder,” he told reporters on Thursday.
“Where’s the motivation?
“The money is good, but I don’t expect Terence Crawford to be the Terence Crawford that was knocking out [Yuriorkis] Gamboa.
“I don’t expect that type of Terence Crawford.
“I don’t think Terence Crawford should be jumping up that far in weight to fight him, but [if the] opportunity presents itself, yeah.
“I didn’t understand why [Jermell fought Alvarez].
“I wasn’t a fan of it.”
‘Hit Man’ makes the move up to super middleweight on Saturday when he tackles Thomas LaManna at the Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas, live on Amazon Prime.
Should the 35-year-old defeat LaManna and Caleb Plant beats Jose Armando Resendiz in the main event, the pair are set to meet later this year.
Charlo and Plant traded words following Thursday’s final press conference and the Texan, who overcame Jose Benavidez Jr in his last bout in November 2023, is keen to face both him and Alvarez, before the Mexican calls time on his illustrious career.
“The message to everybody is get ready for me,” Charlo told reporters on Wednesday.
“I’m not coming to just win a belt, I want to end my legacy here.
“Y’all make room. Here I come.
“I want Canelo. I want Plant first and then maybe Canelo before it’s too late.”
