It’s been exactly five months since the mega fight between Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford. The latter became a three-division undisputed champion, beating, arguably, one of the best boxers of the generation. Three months later, however, ‘Bud’ announced his retirement from the sport, finishing his boxing career undefeated. This came at a special time, though.

In the days leading up to his retirement, there was much talk about Crawford’s next fight. Many speculated whether he would move down to middleweight for another undisputed run or if a rematch was in the works. However, it all fizzled out when Bud announced his retirement. Now, a renowned boxing trainer says, “I’m glad he [retired].” Why?

Team Canelo Alvarez would have made Terence Crawford lose

“I’m gonna say [this, and] a lot of people are gonna be mad at me,” acclaimed boxing trainer Joel Diaz told Fight Hub TV’s Marcos Villegas. “The fact that [Crawford] won, working on a rematch, they [Canelo’s team] were gonna make [Crawford’s] life miserable for a rematch for [Crawford] to lose the next one.”

According to Joel Diaz, “that’s the way boxing works.” He explained that Canelo Alvarez has long been the favorite—a major draw with significant influence in the sport. And on the rematch, Canelo’s team would’ve found a way to ensure he won the next one.

Thanks to Canelo’s massive purses, everyone involved stands to earn a bigger cut if he wins, which incentivizes them to root for him to win and remain on top. However, with his loss, that popularity and pulling power may begin to fade. And with Canelo approaching retirement, the window to capitalize on his star power is shrinking, making the financial stakes even higher.

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The trainer, who coached Crawford’s opponent before Canelo, Israil Madrimov, also suggested that Terence Crawford’s decision to step away from the sport protects his legacy from being tarnished. “In the books of boxing, forever in history, look at this guy,” he explained. “He came from 54 to 68, beat the king of boxing and took all the belts and retired.

“I know there’s a lot of temptations. There [are] millions of dollars… Yes, it’s tempting, but you know what? Money comes and goes, and at the end of the day, money is not going to last forever. What’s going to last forever? A legacy.”

Diaz also trained Dmitry Bivol for the latter’s fight against Canelo in May 2022. And Bivol is one of only three fighters who have managed to beat ‘Cinnamon,’ including Floyd Mayweather. Coming back to the point, though, Canelo hasn’t fought since his loss to Crawford last year.

However, that hasn’t stopped the Mexican boxing legend from continuing to pursue Crawford anyway.

Alvarez blames ‘leg cramps’ for Crawford loss; wants rematch

After getting dominated, Canelo believes physical issues may have played a part in his diminished performance. “I tried, but my body didn’t respond,” Alvarez said. “I had cramps in my legs, so it didn’t respond the way I wanted.”

He admitted mistakes in both training camp and execution. “We learn from that and move forward… I know what mistakes I made in the fight and in the camp, too,” he added. Alvarez believes a second fight would look very different and argues Crawford owes him that opportunity. “After the fight,” he said. “I said we need to run this fight back because I didn’t really feel the way I wanted.

“For him to deserve all the credit, he needs to give me the rematch.”

Whether the rematch actually materializes remains uncertain. But Joel Diaz’s comments have cast a troubling shadow over the situation, hinting at a darker possibility that could reflect poorly on Canelo Alvarez. If the fight does happen, will Diaz’s claims prove justified—or will they be put to rest once and for all? Let us know what you think.