‘It didn’t respond’ – Canelo Alvarez opens up on worrying physical reasons for Terence Crawford defeat

Canelo Alvarez has suggested he was unable to match Terence Crawford physically which led to his defeat.

The Mexican superstar was dethroned as undisputed super-middleweight world champion by Crawford, who delivered a masterful display to win their clash on points last September.

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Alvarez was barely able to lay a glove on the tricky and elite Omaha native, who completed a 14lbs move up in weight to perfection.

Prior to the clash, many believed the former pound-for-pound king could get the job done, given he held natural size advantages.

But ultimately it paid no dividends and he found himself on the receiving end of some punishing blows.

And now when speaking out for the first time since the loss, the 35-year-old revealed he had struggled to get his body to respond to his demands.

Alvarez said on a Ring Magazine podcast: “My body didn’t respond the way I really wanted.

“I wanted to move faster. I didn’t recuperate my weight like I needed. So, I felt a little bit tired, and my legs felt a little bit tired, too.

“I did well, even if my body didn’t really feel like I wanted. I tried, but my body didn’t respond.

“I had cramps in my legs, so it doesn’t respond the way I want.”

Alvarez is widely viewed as coming to the final years of his career, but still believes he has more to give.

The Mexican has a fantastic legacy, but is not yet content in hanging up his gloves, concluding he has more paydays to earn and more to give the sport.

Canelo on Crawford rematch

Unfortunately for Alvarez, Crawford has now announced his retirement from boxing and vacated all of the world titles.

That has effectively ended his chances of securing an immediate sequel with the American, with gold on the line.

Alvarez has announced he will return in September in Saudi Arabia, with an opponent yet to be confirmed.

And despite having his hopes dashed, Canelo has made a new plea to Crawford, suggesting he needs to offer him a sequel.

He added: “I always give all his credit but we need to run it back.

“That’s why after the fight I say ‘we need to run it back, this fight’ because I don’t feel the way I really want and I need to make this fight happen again, and it’s going to be different.

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“I think for him to deserve all the credit he need to give me the rematch, obviously. But he decide to retire and we need to accept that and move forward.

“I’m going to keep forward and do the fights I want and fight world champions again and that’s it. But I think the rematch will be perfect for boxing.”