Terence Crawford is a former undisputed champion at 140 pounds.
Canelo Alvarez just became an undisputed champion at 168 pounds when he beat Caleb Plant via 11th round TKO.
Crawford and Alvarez are both multi-division champions who are two of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world.
Alvarez is already a four-division champion who has beaten some of the sport’s top stars over the last decade.
The Nebraska-native Crawford is the current 147-pound WBO champion and will next face former welterweight champion Shawn Porter in what will arguably be the toughest test of his 13-year career.
The 34-year-old Crawford (37-0, 28 KOs) -- who last was in the ring against Kell Brook and cruised to a fourth-round KO last November -- reflected on his recent run compared to Alvarez’s.
"He is definitely doing things differently to me because he is able and capable of doing those things," Crawford told Sky Sports. "He has fought four times in the past year. He has become undisputed. He is getting all of the fights that he wants right now. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to. It has been frustrating. But what's meant for me, I will have. Everything happens for a reason and I believe that my time is coming. I feel like I'm already there, but I have to prove it to the world and it starts with Porter."
Should Crawford beat Porter, he could leverage a looming free agency to pick and choose the fights he wants much like Alvarez did over the last year as a promotional free agent.
Crawford versus Porter will take place Nov. 20 at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas on ESPN+ pay per view ($69.99).
Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, via email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com or on www.ManoukAkopyan.com