Plenty will classify Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford as a “dream fight”. With good reason, too. It’s a rare match between two of the most skilled, exciting, and talented active boxers, pound for pound.
Hardened fans have grown tired of putting up with, and paying through the nose for, substandard affairs that pit a fighter we’re told is a “world champion” against a challenger we’re told is “world-rated”. The sport’s mind-boggling fixation with paywalls and multiple belts has for too long been hurling abuse at the fans’ intelligence. This weekend, however, feels like the start of something new.
Out of the 10 fights on the TKO-Riyadh Season bill at the Allegiant Stadium, only one – the sumptuous main event between Alvarez and Crawford – will be over 12 rounds and feature a world title. The undisputed super-middleweight championship of the world, no less. No arguments; no imposters elsewhere; no one else besides the winner of this fight to call themselves the man. It will be staged in a plush stadium already proven fit for the Super Bowl, and, probably best of all, it will be broadcast by Netflix, the streaming giant with a reported 301 million subscribers. The planet will be watching; the atmosphere will be electric; the numbers will likely be gargantuan.
Viva la revolution, then?
There have inevitably been grumbles. Most understandably from rival promoters who have worked their socks off for decades only to now be faced with obscene resources with no bottom line. From sanctioning bodies who for too long have gotten their own way. Even from some disgruntled consumers who point out that Netflix, regardless of its accessibility, still represents a barrier of sorts. Because, strictly speaking, it’s not free. But for the millions who use Netflix, paying the token monthly fee is like paying the electricity bill, buying gas for your car, or paying for your phone; it’s a necessary expense; one long ingrained in our monthly outgoings. In that regard, and when compared to the usual pay-per-view costs, it will feel free. It will feel special. It will feel like, at last, we can share our sport with everybody else.
Yet we should ask: why is it only this fight that’s receiving such five-star treatment? While doing so it becomes clear – or should – that Canelo-Crawford is not actually an example of a sport in rude health but evidence that boxing long ago lost its way. Because if it was really flying high, week in, week out, a contest like this – one that forces two fighters from completely different weight classes together – would not be necessary.
If the sport was like any other sport (one that thrives through structured competition), then Canelo would instead be fighting David Benavidez, and Crawford would be duking it out with Jaron Ennis. Two fights, it can be argued, that would be more attractive to the hardcore fan than what we’ll get tonight. Those responsible for Canelo-Crawford – Turki Alalshikh and newcomers TKO – will rightly scoff at that suggestion because neither of those fights would be nearly as lucrative nor have the same appeal to the wider market. But, again, had those running the sport not allowed it to get so marginalized in recent years – due to paywalls, too many belts, and consistently failing to make fights that fans wanted – then it’s fair to debate that they might have been. Fair, too, to understand why the sport might indeed now be ripe for takeover.
It can’t be denied, however, that Canelo-Crawford, though undoubtedly dripping in intrigue, feels a bit like a standalone event. And that’s what boxing has become reliant upon, one ginormous standalone event, to generate widespread attention.
The good news: Canelo-Crawford is a gazillion times better than last year’s standalone event, Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson, and other comparable hokum like Floyd Mayweather vs Conor McGregor and Tyson Fury vs Francis Ngannou. It’s a real fight that features fighters who are as real as they come. And one hopes that those at the heart of the promotion, and the wider industry, understand at last that moving forward, what we need is real fights, real titles, and crucially, real exposure. Boxing is so rich with talent, characters, and unexpected narratives, that stories like David vs Goliath don’t need to be manufactured.
Goliath, of course, is being played by Canelo. He’s a natural super middleweight. He’s one of the greatest super middleweights in history. He’s unbeaten at super middleweight. He’s younger. Defensively, he’s excellent – and likewise when on the attack. He surely hits harder. His mountainous chin has never let him down. He fights often (by the elite’s standards) and thus is always in gladiatorial shape.
That Crawford, the David of the piece, is given a chance by many observers, even though he’s rising to a division where the limit is 21 pounds heavier than what most would classify as his best fighting weight, is testament to his astonishing ability.
What seems to come to Crawford naturally – that fighting intelligence, spite, and versatility – is something that Canelo has had to work years to hone. And that’s not wishing to do Crawford a disservice by suggesting he hasn’t slogged to get where he is today, because he certainly has, but “Bud” has long looked born to fight in the same way that fighters like Sugar Ray Robinson, Muhammad Ali, and Sugar Ray Leonard always used to.
That might be an observation that Canelo would take umbrage with, however. He is a supreme all-round fighter, one who long ago proved his worth to the hall of fame. To conclude that Crawford is better, purely because his style is more eye-catching, is lazy without further investigation. The perception that Crawford is slicker, quicker, and more accurate does not stand up when one examines the punch stats of each of their five most recent bouts. Because it is Canelo who on average lands more shots per round and takes fewer punches per round when compared to Crawford.
Canelo, a professional for 20 years, is cuter than he ever was. Okay, he may not be as busy offensively as he was in the days of his perceived pomp, and even though the KOs have dried up, he rarely wastes a punch. It’s difficult to hit him cleanly and any memories of him appearing truly hurt in a boxing ring have long gone. Consequently, he might be harder to beat today than he was five years ago.
Yet the feeling that Crawford, who has had Canelo in his sights for several years, is on the verge of cementing his greatness with a performance of the ages is strong. Whereas nearly all of Canelo’s recent opponents – William Scull, Edgar Berlanga, Jaime Munguia, Jermell Charlo and John Ryder – were in one way or another overawed by the Mexican’s reputation, Crawford, presuming he isn’t badly hurt early, will surely go about his business without overthinking the task. Crawford’s strength of mind might ultimately be his biggest weapon in a fight such as this.
“What separates me from everybody else is my mentality, my work ethic, my risk taking,” Crawford said. “Punching when people say I shouldn’t; not moving when people think I should.”
Size might also be a factor, and who really knows now both weighed in at 167.5lbs, but Crawford, who is slightly taller and boasts a longer wingspan, might still be the quicker fighter. It’s easy to envision him offsetting Canelo with his unique raids from both stances, going forwards, backwards, and side-to-side on those quick feet. The champion is no slouch – he never has been – but in Bud he’ll encounter the kind of ambition, talent, and self-belief that he won’t have faced for several years.
But the Omaha, Nebraska diehard is on the brink of turning 38. He didn’t look brilliant in his most recent bout, a close points win over Israil Madrimov, in August last year. That was his first at 154lbs after winning titles at lightweight, junior welterweight and welterweight; whichever way one spins it, rising another two divisions to face someone as meaty, strong, and accomplished as Canelo is loaded with risk. And Crawford won’t be the only one eager to put on a show; Alvarez, too, will feel the sense of destiny in the air.
Yet the feeling here has always been that Crawford might just be all wrong for Canelo; that size ultimately won’t matter, and that in conquering Alvarez and winning a third undisputed title in the process, Crawford will seal his place in history as one of the absolute greatest. Though an upset on the cards is the pick, Crawford bedazzling Canelo to the point the Mexican gets stopped in the final third of the bout shouldn’t be a surprise, either.
“I’ve always wanted to be one of the all-time greats,” Crawford said. “Victory over Canelo will do that. Terence Crawford beats Canelo Alvarez. They’ll put me on Mount Rushmore.”
