By Ross Kelly
The past several years in boxing has been defined more by events than true boxing matches, as we’ve seen the likes of Floyd Mayweather vs. Connor McGregor and Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul. However, this Saturday will see a fight that true fans of the sport can get enamored with, and it’s arguably the biggest boxing match in a decade as Canelo Alvarez (63-2-2, 39 KOs) will face Terence “Bud” Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs).
Canelo vs. Crawford is billed as “Once In A Lifetime” considering the stature of the competitors, and with them both being in their primes. Alvarez is in his second reign as the undisputed middleweight champion, an honor he achieved in his last fight, which was a unanimous decision over William Scull in May. He holds the WBA, WBC, WBO, and IBF titles, which will all be on the line come Saturday.
Crawford is also a current champion, as he holds the WBA junior middleweight title but he will be stripped of his belt due to moving up in weight class to fight Alvarez. However, being an undisputed champion is something the undefeated Crawford is already familiar with as he is first male boxer in the four-belt era to be undisputed at two different weight classes. A victory over Alvarez would make him and women’s boxer Claressa Shields the only fighters in the history of the sport to be undisputed champions at three weight classes.
That jump in weight class is, perhaps, the biggest subplot of this bout, as not only is Crawford moving up to fight Canelo but he’s jumping two weight classes to do so. He’s never fought above 154 pounds, while Alvarez clocks in at 167 pounds, and 13 pounds is a huge advantage in boxing. Whenever there is a size discrepancy like this with multiple weight classes between the opponents, it’s common for there to be a catchweight where the heavier fighter moves down a class, while the lighter fighter moves up a class. However, Crawford was the one who mandated that there be no catchweight as he said he didn’t want “any excuses” from Alvarez or his camp if the current undisputed champion takes the loss.
Having the weight advantage isn’t the only edge that Canelo has as he also has a slight advantage in age, as well as a huge edge in experience. The 35-year-old Alvarez is nearly three years younger than Crawford, who turns 38 at the end of this month. The bigger discrepancy comes from time in the ring as Alvarez, who turned pro at 15, has 520 rounds under his belt as a professional fighter. Crawford, who had a lengthy amateur career, turned pro at 20 years old and has 245 rounds in the ring, which is not even half of what Alvarez has.
Not everything on the tale of the tape favors Alvarez, however, starting with the reach advantage for Bud Crawford. Despite being just a half-inch taller than Alvarez, Crawford has a three-and-a-half-inch reach advantage. That should allow him to connect with jabs at a longer distance, and Crawford also has displayed knockout power, unlike his foe. He’s prevailed via KO in 76 percent of his fights, compared to 62 percent for Alvarez, whose knockout ability has diminished over time. Each of Alvarez’s last seven fights has gone to the scorecards, as it’s been nearly four years since he scored a knockout victory. Meanwhile, 11 of Crawford’s last 12 fights have seen his hand raised after a KO.
Crawford, or any boxer for that matter, who carries that zero behind his record, always has a mystique or aura about him where fans wonder if he can be beaten, and that’s an intangible also in his favor. His last loss came in an amateur fight at the 2007 Olympic trials, so having an 18-year undefeated run is quite the resume builder.
Alvarez does have two losses as a professional, though no one holds either defeat against him considering the opponents. The first came against another undefeated boxer, and arguably the greatest of his era, when Alvarez lost via decision to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2013. The second defeat came to Dmitry Bivol in 2022, but that was a bout in which Alvarez was the one moving up in weight class to fight a naturally bigger fighter. In his current weight class of super middleweight, Alvarez sports an 11-0 record.
Canelos vs. Crawford is something fight fans should cherish as this truly is a once-in-a-lifetime match, as it’s billed, because Crawford has stated that there is no rematch clause, regardless of the outcome. Adding to the big-fight feel is that not only will it take place in the Entertainment Capital of the World in Las Vegas, but it will be at a stadium, which is a rarity for a boxing match in Nevada.
Allegiant Stadium, home of the Las Vegas Raiders, will host the proceedings as over 60,000 fans are expected to attend. That will be more than twice the previous record for the most-attended boxing event in Nevada, which was 29,214 fans when Larry Holmes defeated Gerry Cooney in 1982. Additionally, this fight will be the first-ever boxing match promoted by UFC president, Dana White, and his Zuffa Boxing promotion.
Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford will take place on Saturday, Sept. 13. The main card begins at 8 p.m. ET, with approximate ring walks for the main event at 11:30 p.m. ET. The event will be streamed on Netflix.
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