Canelo Alvarez says he sees his fight against Terence Crawford as being “important” for his “legacy” on September 13th. The 20-year pro Avarez (63-2-2, 39 KOs) isn’t overlooking the 37-year-old Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) despite his natural size and experience advantage.
Alvarez Sees a Challenge
“Is different. You can feel it right away, and you know how big, how important it is,” said Canelo Alvarez to Ring Magazine on X, talking about his fight against Terence Crawford. “[It’s] for my legacy.”
It’s a fight that Canelo can’t afford to lose, as he would look bad in the eyes of fans getting beaten by a smaller, older fighter who hasn’t fought once at 168 or 160. Crawford showed he was an excellent fighter at 135, 140, and 147. He didn’t look impressive, being fought to a standstill against Israil Madrimov in his jump up to the 154-lb division a year ago in 2024.
“If I had to choose, I would say Crawford. What he did against Errol Spence was incredible. His level of boxing, his intelligence. He’s in another league. Terence Crawford can make adjustments in the ring faster than any other boxer,” said middleweight Kyrone Davis to Marca.
Kyrone has sparred with Canelo and Crawford in the past. His work with Crawford left a lasting impression on him. The sparring he did with Crawford was in preparation for his fight against Shawn Porter on November 20, 2021. Crawford was 34 at the time.
A Dangerous Matchup for Canelo
“He’s got super accurate shots, and if he’s able to weather the storm early from Canelo, if that’s what Canelo’s strategy is, that could tire him out,” said Jeff Horn to Fight Hub TV.
Undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo is taking Crawford seriously. He’s not looking down on him and viewing him as a fighter that doesn’t deserve a title shot, given that he’s jumping up two weight classes to challenge for his four belts. That’s how some fans view Crawford.
They see him as being given a gift title shot at 168 that he didn’t have to work for. Turki Alalshikh wanted this fight. So, Crawford is being given that crack at Canelo’s four belts, whereas the contenders in that division are being bypassed.