Bud, 37, is due to face Canelo, 35, on 13 September at Allegiant Staduim in Las Vegas, and Sanchez has now insisted Crawford isn’t “big enough” or “strong enough” to overcome his 168-lb opponent.
Speaking with Fighthype, the 76-year-old trainer - who formerly coached Gennadiy Golovkin - said: “In order to beat Canelo you have to be willing to take a shot and press him and press him and make sure you keep him busy and keep him backing up.
“If you can’t muscle him, if you can’t be more effective than he is with his punches and push him back then you’re not going to beat him. You leave him on the outside he’s going to pick you apart, he’s going to pound your arms.
“He’s so damn strong like Gennadiy was. Guys like Bivol who were able to press him and be stronger than him and just keep activity on him, those are the kind of guys that are going to beat him.”
Sanchez added that although Crawford - who weighed 154 lbs for his most recent match against Israil Madrimov in August 2024 - has put on a lot of muscle for the Canelo bout, he doesn’t have the experience fighting in the super middleweight class to beat his opponent.
Sanchez continued: “Terence, I don’t care if he goes up to 200 lbs, doesn’t have that in time … if he would’ve fought three or four guys already at that weight and build up his work ethic and his strength by competing and beating guys at that weight, then I could see it.
“But he’s ballooned up to whatever it is he is, which in my opinion is the worst thing he could’ve done. But then again who am I to question a Hall of Famer like that, right?
“But if it would’ve been me, I would’ve kept him at 170 lbs, the weight he’s going to fight at, that way he wouldn’t have to lose nothing, he’d be as strong as he can be at that weight instead of from what I understand he’s in the ‘90s.
“If he is, maybe that’s just hype, I don’t know, but if he is in the 90s he’s going to have to drop down to the high 60s, that doesn’t make any sense to me.”
Sanchez concluded: “But he’s a Hall of Famer, man. He’s a great fighter. I just don’t think that he’s big enough, I don’t think he’s strong enough to be able to muscle a Canelo.
“My opinion, the first three or four rounds Terence will have an advantage because of his hand speed, but once Canelo assimilates and gets used to the combinations coming at him I think it’s a sparring session again for Canelo as he’s had in the past.
“I see Canelo going away towards the end with a decision.”
