Terence Crawford didn’t need a crystal ball to see what was next after going toe-to-toe with Israil Madrimov last year. He had his sights set on something bigger—the super middleweight king. He knew Canelo Alvarez had the size and power advantage over him, but did that make him back down? Not a chance. “I’m up for the challenge,” Bud told TMZ Sports, fully aware of the mountain he was about to climb. “This fight is massive.” Even though he admitted that Canelo’s “size and punching power” were the biggest obstacles, he was confident in his “reach and speed”. But let’s be real. Terence Crawford will need more than just reach and speed to pull off an upset.

At least, that’s what the undisputed light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol thinks. If everything goes according to plan, the Mexican champion will take on William Scull next month. A win there would keep him sitting pretty as the undisputed super middleweight champion, setting the stage for a mega-fight with Bud Crawford in September at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. And if Bud wants the victory, he might want to take a page out of Dmitry Bivol’s playbook. After all, Bivol is one of only two people who have actually beaten the Guadalajara native, handing him a rare loss back in 2022. So what’s his advice to the Nebraskan?

Fight night holds the key for Terence Crawford, according to Bivol

A few days ago, Dmitry Bivol sat down with Andy Clarke of Ring Magazine. And just like that, the secret sauce to Terence Crawford’s success might have been spilled. Curious about the upcoming mega-fight, Clarke asked Bivol for his thoughts on Canelo vs. Crawford. His first reaction? No surprises there. “First reaction, of course, is about the size of Crawford,” Bivol said right off the bat. The 24-1 light heavyweight champion mentioned that he actually met the undefeated 41-0 boxer last month while traveling to Dubai. His impression? Crawford looked jacked and was buffed up. “He is one of my favorite boxers,” Bivol admitted. Ultimately, he didn’t shy away from giving Terence Crawford some credit. “He’s able to win this fight,” he said confidently. But since when does looking good guarantee a W in the ring?

There are always a million “buts” and “ifs.” So what does Crawford need to do? “He needs to get used to the power and pressure of 168 lbs,” Bivol explained. “Because it’s a big difference, to be honest.” That means on fight night Crawford will have to fight like a natural super middleweight, a tough task for someone who just moved up from welterweight last year. However, according to Bivol, Crawford could pull it off. “How he’ll feel himself on fight day, how his training camp will go on, a lot of things. But he’s able. He has good skills,” he added.

As the interview continued, he was asked about Canelo’s biggest strength. The answer was simple. Defense. “He’s using his body a lot for defense,” he noted. But does that mean he thinks Terence Crawford has the upper hand? “I don’t know,” Dmitry Bivol confessed. While he wouldn’t go all-in on a prediction, he’s sure about one thing. “It’s an interesting fight for me. I would like to see this fight because two great fighters in their weight classes. It’s a really good fight.” But while Bivol stays on the fence, someone else isn’t afraid to call it the way they see it…

Shakur Stevenson knows the way

Last month, Shakur Stevenson was in an interview on All The Smoke Fight podcast with Andre Ward. The moment Canelo vs. Crawford came up, the Newark native straight-up downplayed Canelo Alvarez’s skills. 3 words were he needed. Crawford “beat[s] him [Canelo] easy,” Stevenson predicted.

The veteran boxer further pushed Stevenson to explain how Terence Crawford would pull it off. Without missing a beat, the 23-0 boxer laid it out. “For me, it’s a blueprint already. Floyd was a lot smaller than Canelo when he fought him. You keep Canelo on the outside. I ain’t gonna even say too much, but you keep him on the outside and make it an easy night.”

Sounds simple, right? Maybe—but there’s more to the story. Crawford’s last fight at 154 lbs against Israil Madrimov wasn’t exactly a walk in the park. Madrimov’s awkward style gave him trouble, and that’s raised a few eyebrows about how Bud will handle an even bigger, stronger Canelo at 168 lbs. And to add fuel to the fire, Vergil Ortiz Jr. recently dominated Madrimov, making Crawford’s struggle against him look even more concerning.

So, is Shakur Stevenson right? Will Terence Crawford really have an easy night against Canelo Alvarez? Or is he in for the toughest fight of his career?