Terence Crawford could secure a remarkable legacy in boxing when he steps up to super-middleweight to challenge Mexican superstar Canelo Alvarez for the undisputed world title.
Crawford has been an undisputed champion twice before, at super-lightweight and welter. But he’s jumping up three divisions from his natural weight. This will be his first contest at 168lbs. The highest weight he’s competed at before was 154lbs, and he’s only boxed there once.
But former world champion Amir Khan, the only man to have boxed both, is tipping Crawford to upset Canelo.
“I’ve always said both fighters are great, they’re both great at what they do. When I fought Canelo he was easier to hit, he had slow feet but fast hands. I never expected him to have the fast hands he had. He has a lot of power. That’s one thing Crawford has to worry about. The size and the power,” Khan told Sky Sports News.
Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford face off as they prepare to go head-to-head in Las Vegas.
But he added: “I saw a picture of Crawford where he was weighing around 180lbs. He looked strong, looked big and I think he holds the weight well. He’s another fighter that’s very strong, very powerful.
“I do lean more towards Crawford in this fight because he’s the fresher fighter. He hasn’t been in too many wars, like Canelo’s been in.
“But look, this is top level boxing so I don’t know who’s going to win but I do lean more towards Crawford.”
‘This is the one’
The American knows that this will be the most important contest of his career. He believes winning it would make him one of the all-time greats.
“This is the one,” Crawford told The Associated Press. “The greatest of all the fights that I done fought.
“Terence Crawford’s legacy, you know, pre-Canelo fight – he’s a Hall of Famer, first ballot, period,” he continued. “Terence Crawford defeating Canelo Alvarez, I mean, he’s one of the all-time greats, period.”
Chris Eubank Jr says he wants to face the winner of Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford once he’s ‘dispatched’ Conor Benn a second time.
He knows, however, that Canelo will be seriously motivated: “You know, he don’t want a smaller guy dethroning him from his undisputed status.
“He’s got a lot to lose, I got a lot to win. I got a lot to lose, he’s got a lot to win.
“For me to capture that victory and that magnitude, it’s going to be so good.”
