When it is a slow week in the sport of boxing, Blair Cobbs, the talkative and engaging welterweight boxer, is one who can help feed the need for boxing production in the news business. Cobbs has made a name for himself by talking candidly and like a pro wrestler, one that has endeared him to some fans and made him cringe to others. Cobbs currently is trying to land a fight with Conor Benn but doesn't want that bout to be featured as a co-main event, but rather a main event.
ProBox TV News recently caught up with Cobbs who gave his thoughts on a fictional but often talked-about fight between Canelo Alvarez versus Terence Crawford. The fight could pit the star of boxing, Canelo, against the number-one pound-for-pound fighter, Crawford, which would be an interesting fact.
Yet Cobbs greatly favors Terence Crawford over Canelo Alvarez. One could possibly think that because they are former stablemates at Golden Boy Promotions there might be a personal experience or such, but that is far from the case. Cobbs explained this in detail to ProBox TV News, as he sees it as a talent issue.
“I think [Crawford] beats [Canelo],” told Cobbs to ProBox TV News. “Canelo can’t handle a lot of movement, and Canelo can’t handle a lot of punches, and Crawford [doesn’t throw a] lot of punches, but he will figure out a way to get off a lot of punches.
Cobbs sees Canelo's greatest strength being his ability to feint fighters into big shots that led to his stoppage wins. Cobbs believes Crawford has a high fight IQ that won't allow him to walk into such a shot despite a twenty-one-pound weight difference between the two.
“Crawford is patient enough to watch every movement, and to know some of [Canelo’s] movements are going to be falsified data to get you tricked into a punch,” said Cobbs. “Canelo is a very, very crafty fighter who likes to do certain things to get you used to seeing something, and then set you up for a big shot. That won't work out [when facing just as] technical of fighter [as himself].”
Cobbs further explained what he likes about Terence Crawford's style when facing Canelo as he feels that Canelo has no chance against Crawford.
“Canelo, if he gets in the ring with Crawford, just like if he got in the ring with me, Canelo doesn’t stand a chance,” said Cobbs. “[Canelo] is better off with the fighter he is fighting [Jermell Charlo] because honestly, I think that was a ‘pick-me’ fight.”
Then you have Cobbs' subjective nature as well. Cobbs has been in a lot of hard fights in fact, he believes his last fight against Maurice Hooker, a former world champion, was put in motion as a way for his former promoter, Golden Boy Promotions, to start conversations with Terence Crawford. Whether that is true or not, that is what he believes, and Cobbs despite that, won the fight - yet has been out of the ring for a year. As a fighter, who has had to take a lot of hard fights - it seems Cobbs has no empathy for Canelo, who he feels has taken some 'easy fights'.
“Almost every fight Canelo has fought in recent times have been cherry-pickin’ fights, every single one,” said Cobbs. “In fact, the Bivol fight was a cherry-pickin’ fight. Everyone thought he was just going to run through Bivol. It just didn’t work out the way he planned, because if he was really a man he have fought [Artur] Beterbiev."
Cobbs concluded the discussion with a stern message for Terence Crawford, as Cobbs believes they are meant for a final showdown one day.
“I think Crawford loses to ‘Blair the Flair’, period,” said Cobbs. “It is not just thinking I know. Sooner or later, [Crawford] has to face me.”
