Terence Crawford has stood out in the double press conferences that unfolded last week to announce his upcoming fight against undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez. With his confidence seemingly unmatched, it appears clear Crawford seems entirely assured of a win over Alvarez who has never been knocked down in a fight nor suffered a loss by knockout or stoppage. But will Crawford’s confidence hold through when he faces Alvarez on September 13 and experiences his power?
The difference between Terence Crawford (41-0, 31 KO’s) and Jermell Charlo ― who also moved up two weight classes from super welterweight (154 lbs) to face Canelo Alvarez (63-2-2, 39 KO’s) for all his super middleweight (168 lbs) titles ― couldn’t be more pervasive.
Crawford, 37, faces even more disadvantages against Alvarez dealing with not only being the older fighter ― the opposite of what Charlo had been when he faced Alvarez in 2023 ― but further being naturally smaller than Charlo had been. Though both Crawford and Alvarez appear to be at the same height of 5’8, Alvarez has had years of experience fighting as a super middleweight.
In comparison, Crawford has yet to ever fight at 168 lbs.
Coupled with the fact Terence Crawford genuinely struggled in his 154 lbs debut against Israil Madrimov, there’s plenty to suggest Crawford’s confidence is perhaps merely delusion as he now attempts to bridge the gap between two weight divisions against Canelo Alvarez ― who is widely-known for being as resilient as he is accomplished within the sport.
The bout between the two has all the makings of a “super fight”, the many questions surrounding skill, power and legacy putting two top pound-for-pound fighters in the ring together.
Whether Crawford is truly able to stand up to Alvarez unlike the dozen of other opponents at 168 pounds who couldn’t remains the most prevalent subject of the fight, for it would signal Crawford’s status as one of the greatest fighters on the planet.
At the same time, it is hard to determine whether Alvarez would receive the same amount of glory given what happened with Jermell Charlo two years ago and the lackluster performance he put up.
While Crawford is no Charlo, a common trend of Alvarez’ fights has seen most of his opponents become more hesitant and reluctant to actually fight him, despite their stated intentions to do the opposite. Edgar Berlanga (23-1, 18 KO’s) and Jaime Munguia (45-2, 35 KO’s) are prime examples, having been expected to at least make Alvarez struggle given they were younger than Alvarez and used to fighting at 168 lbs, yet they both failed in their task to win ― with their respective fights against Canelo Alvarez proving the Mexican champion remains one of the best fighters in the world.
Even with claims of Canelo Alvarez being deteriorated, Terence Crawford still seems to be facing an uphill battle, which only adds to the entire mystique of the upcoming contest as Crawford to have the most disadvantages out of all of Alvarez’ past opponents yet also has the highest potential to defeat him.
Known as a boxer-puncher, Crawford has shown to be well-balanced in every attribute that makes him regarded as a complete fighter ― further compounded by his ability to fight at both southpaw and orthodox. Alvarez is highly-skilled himself and is known to have a high ring IQ, but his adaptability is lower and his style of fighting has remained mostly static throughout his career.
Despite his successes, Alvarez’ two losses against Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Dmitry Bivol (24-1, 12 KO’s) gives Crawford a blueprint on how to beat the Mexican undisputed champion, but as most opponents have witnessed ― it appears impossible to prepare for Alvarez’ power. Despite not having netted a knockout win since stopping Caleb Plant (23-3, 14 KO’s) in 2021, Canelo Alvarez is one of the division’s most powerful punchers to the point none have proven to be able to trade with him in the pocket for long.
The two back-to-back press conferences held to announce the upcoming September 13th bout between Alvarez and Crawford highlighted a lot. Both fighters are clearly confident in their abilities, but what stands out is that for the first time, Alvarez is facing an opponent as confident as him ― which gives plenty of food for thought regarding the direction the fight might go in.
Ultimately, the very question on whether the two are evenly-matched provides an interesting debate revolving about the ability and skill of both fighters; representing what may be the purest form of boxing that makes it unlike the spectacles seen in boxing thus far as the conversation reflects the magnitude that comes with being considered one of the best fighters on the planet.
