Terence Crawford issues perfect response to shoulder injury rumour

Terence Crawford has sarcastically claimed he has injured BOTH shoulders ahead of his clash with Canelo Alvarez.

Crawford is jumping up two weight divisions to take on undisputed super-middleweight world champion Alvarez in Las Vegas on Saturday night.

"Yeah, my shoulder’s messed up everyone," he mocked. "Don’t tell Canelo! Maybe the left, maybe the right, maybe both of them. I’m having problems with my shoulders. Keep that under wraps." Earlier in the week, Crawford had shrugged his shoulders energetically when asked about his apparent injury.

"Where do I [have] a shoulder injury? People are coming up with their own antics," he said. "They coming up with all kinds of stuff. “Of course, the power is definitely going to come with it. So, that’s not a worry that I ever had. Shutting everybody up."

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Crawford did, however, admit no fighter goes into a bout feeling completely healthy. "You've got to think: going into a fight, you don’t know what’s going to happen,” he added.

"You could get injuries, he could get injuries, there’s so many things that go on in a boxing match: the judges, the referee, everything, the preparation. So, you’re not 100 per cent sure. If a boxer says they’re 1000 per cent, they’re lying."

Crawford is aiming to become the first man to hold four belts at three different weights, and added: "Becoming three-time undisputed (would be bigger than beating Canelo). Doing something that’s never been done before… Canelo's been beat before.

“I’ve been told I’d never be where I am at now. I was told I need to get another job because I wasn’t going to be a world champion. I’m going to be victorious. And everybody is going to talk about it on Sunday.

"Of course, it's going to be a pro-Canelo crowd. It's Mexican Independence Day; he's done great things and great numbers in Las Vegas. This is like a second home to him so I'm looking forward to being the underdog. I'm already prepared for that. That's nothing that we have not prepared for, anything that involves this fight, we already know what's up."