By Jamal Baker
NDG Contributing Writer
The highly anticipated clash between two of boxing’s biggest stars—Terence Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) and Canelo Alvarez (63-2-2, 39 KOs) is set to take place Saturday, September 13 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Both fighters are universally considered two of the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world and will be fighting for the undisputed super middleweight championship.
In what is being billed as “Once In a Lifetime” by the promoters, Crawford is moving up two weight classes and daring to be great against Canelo to become the first men’s boxer to be an undisputed champion in three weight classes in the “four-belt era.” (Claressa GWOAT Shields became an undisputed champion in three women’s boxing divisions when she defeated Danielle Perkins for the heavyweight title in July.)
“I love Canelo. Crawford will beat Canelo. Crawford will beat Canelo by decision,” ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith predicted. “I can’t see anybody knocking out Canelo Alvarez. But I do believe that if you can box and you can move, you can beat Canelo. You can outpoint him.
“One of the things I don’t like about Canelo, despite his greatness…It’s like almost every shot has to be a power shot, and that’s not beating Crawford.”
Canelo is arguably the greatest Mexican boxer of all-time and will look to continue cementing his legacy as a legendary fighter. ESPN BET has the undisputed super middleweight champion as a -175 favorite over Crawford. Canelo has not been a betting underdog since his second fight with Gennady Golovkin in 2018.
“I want Crawford to win, but it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen,” Mike Tyson recently said on The Big Podcast, hosted by basketball legend Shaquille O’neal.
“I would like for it to happen, [but] this guy [Alvarez] is a hard puncher, he’s a smart fighter. I want to see it.”
Styles make fights and the slick switch-hitting Crawford presents an interesting challenge for a slugger like Canelo.
Although Canelo is a much different fighter than when he fought Floyd Mayweather Jr., Crawford would be wise to take a few pointers from the defensive mastermind’s playbook. Mayweather beat Canelo with stellar defense and by precisely picking his spots on when to engage with Canelo in the center of the ring.
If Crawford decides to take Canelo’s bait to make it an “exciting” fight, Canelo could potentially overwhelm Crawford with his power.
“I think size is going to be a problem,” Matchroom chairman Eddie Hearn said. “Is Canelo getting old? One of the things that is so admirable about Canelo Alvarez is that he keeps competing. He keeps having his training camps, and he still has the fire in his belly.
“I think for the Crawford fight, he’ll really get himself up for that fight. I just think the movement is going to cause him a lot of problems. Crawford has got to fight a boring fight to beat him.”
In what will certainly be the fight of the year, Crawford will edge out Canelo by a majority decision. Given that both fighters have a respectable chin and a pit bull mentality, neither will accept being defeated by a knockout.
The fight will be available to stream on Netflix at 9 p.m. ET and will be a legacy-defining moment for both fighters, as Crawford and Canelo look to be considered among the greatest boxers of all-time.
