Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford: Who has the edge heading into their mega fight?

Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford have solidified their greatness already with resumes destined for the Hall of Fame.

They will now clash Saturday night in Las Vegas with Alvarez’ undisputed super middleweight crown and bragging rights of being this generation’s best on the line. The mega fight at Allegiant Stadium has Crawford moving up 14 pounds in weight to fight at 168 pounds for the first time in his career.

Alvarez (63-2-2, 39 KOs) is coming off a rather uneventful, low-action unanimous decision over Cuban fighter William Scull in May to become a two-time 168-pound undisputed ruler. Altogether in the division, the Mexican superstar is 11-0.

Meanwhile, Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) has not fought since producing a closely-contested unanimous decision over Israil Madrimov last summer to become a junior middleweight world champion.

Will Alvarez prove the boxing adage of there being weight classes for a reason into effect with a pronounced victory? Or will Crawford become the first man to become undisputed world champion in three different weight classes, earning serious consideration to being the all-time GOAT?

In a fight that has legacies at stake, DAZN News analyzes who has the edge between the champ Canelo and challenger Crawford.

Boxing Styles

Canelo Alvarez works behind a disciplined guard, stalking opponents and breaking them down by imposing his will and skills on them.

He sits on his body shots, leveraging their maximum impact, while being able to pull the trigger with thudding counterpunches that make opponents pay mightily for their mistakes.

That efficient style will be up against Terence Crawford’s brand of brilliant boxing which is highlighted by his ability to switch stances from southpaw to orthodox within the flow of a fight.

Alvarez tabbed Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis as a sparring partner to train for Crawford’s switch-hitting and it was a clever move. However, as good as Ennis is, Crawford’s boxing is on another level.

‘Bud’ is a master of spacing, using it to dictate the flow of a fight by throwing hands off the front foot or relying on his instincts and reads to unleash the right counterpunch at the apt times. Either way, Crawford’s output is razor-sharp as arguably the pound-for-pound best in boxing today.

Both Alvarez and Crawford have pointed sweet science styles that empower them to purely box or be a boxer-puncher when warranted. That tale of the tape makes this category a tight squeeze, with the Omaha, Nebraska native getting the slight edge for his punch selection and placement, and overall control. Plus, he is harder to hit than Alvarez. Still, this one is a close call.

Edge: Crawford

Power

Crawford has plenty of punching power. His string of 11 straight knockout victories prior to the points win over Madrimov highlights just that. Moreover, if his newly-formed physique as a chiseled super middleweight is any indication, ‘Bud’ might have even more punching power at his disposal.

Then again, Alvarez has been unbeatable at 168 pounds, methodically dismantling opponents on an average of essentially two a year since joining the division.

Until Crawford can prove otherwise at this weight, the nod here goes to Alvarez.

Edge: Alvarez

Ring IQ

Canelo and Crawford each tout an extremely high ring IQ, downloading and assessing information in real time and capitalizing on opponents’ errors with booming results.

In addition, each man is driven by a supreme belief and reliance on his own skills.

If there is any push between these stars, it might be Crawford’s ability to consistently adjust — round by round if necessary — and shift into another gear.

Another very close category, though.

Edge: Crawford

Experience

During the buildup to this mega fight, Alvarez has repeatedly let it be known that Crawford’s quality of opponents have paled in comparison to that on his own ledger.

“If you look at his career — don’t get me wrong, ok, he’s a good fighter — but if you look at his career, mention one elite fighter,” Alvarez said in the presence of Crawford, Shaquille O’Neal, Tom Brady and Dana White back in June.

While that is simply not true, Alvarez has had more bouts against higher quality of competition, including the likes of Gennadiy Golovkin, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Dmitry Bivol, Miguel Cotto, Erislandy Lara, Daniel Jacobs, and Sergey Kovalev, to name a few.

Crawford has encountered stiff competition over the years, too, but Alvarez’ experience is richer.

Edge: Alvarez

Mental Warfare

In moving up two weight classes to challenge for Alvarez’ four super middleweight titles, Terence Crawford, already a future lock Hall of Famer, is daring to be even greater to put his fighting legacy out of reach.

With the risk he is taking comes the leeway if he is unsuccessful in dethroning Alvarez that he still put himself out there and leapt to take a steep challenge head-on. His legacy would still be complete.

The same cannot exactly be said for Alvarez accepting this fight. The face of boxing is 11-0 at super middleweight and if he were to lose to Crawford, who is moving up 14 pounds to challenge him, it would be a damaging blow to his legacy.

There is unspoken pressure that comes with this fight for Alvarez — pressure that Crawford doesn’t have to shoulder.

Others would argue that the pressure is on Crawford fighting at 168 pounds for the first time in a space that Alvarez is most comfortable and with glaring results.

But remember, Crawford called for this fight when it was originally dismissed by Alvarez. Crawford's reel and hunger for more must be considered and stacked against Alvarez' experience.

This daring challenge is the feat Crawford has yearned for and now has at his fingertips.

Edge: Crawford

Who has the edge in Canelo vs Crawford?

DAZN News has this contest as an ultra-tight 3-2 edge to Crawford.

While some of these categories can sway in either fighter’s favor, what are constants with Crawford is his hunger to win and the built-in mean streak that intrinsically resides in his veins.

After all, Crawford took a perceived 50-50 fight against Errol Spence and did not simply defeat ‘The Truth’ ... he battered him to the point that Spence has not returned to the ring since suffering that July 2023 beatdown.

There is a blueprint on how to defeat Alvarez courtesy of Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Dmitry Bivol. (Technically Gennadiy Golovkin, too, considering the inexplicably egregious scorecard by one judge in their first fight).

There is not a blueprint on how to defeat Crawford, though Canelo will certainly try to develop and execute one.

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