What happens when two of boxing’s best pound-for-pound champions, Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford meet at the center of the ring? According to undisputed light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol, something spectacular. But that’s not the real story. What truly stood out was Bivol’s prediction for the bout. 

As the entire world knows by now, ‘Cinnamon’ and ‘Bud’ are pegged to go toe-to-toe against each other in September later this year at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Technically, Alvarez has to overcome IBF super middleweight champion William Scull first. However, many see the Cuban as little more than a stepping stone toward unifying the division.

Despite the excitement surrounding the September fight, some in the community have crowned Alvarez the champion prematurely. This is mainly because of Canelo’s size advantage. That’s what people believe also gives him a power advantage. And the concept is not that hard to digest, given Crawford is not used to fighting in the higher weight classes. 

Yes, Crawford is a four-division champion and has been undisputed in two weight classes, but that doesn’t guarantee success at super middleweight. And Bivol felt the same way before he saw Crawford about two months ago. “My first reaction, of course, was about the size of Crawford,” Bivol told The Ring in an interview. 

“Is it okay for him to move up two weight classes or not? I saw him in Dubai maybe a month ago. I thought, ‘He’s big.’ He has very good skills,” he continued. Explaining that Crawford is one of his favorite fighters, Bivol claimed, “He’s able to win this fight. But there are a lot of small things which we don’t know.” 

What are those small things? “We don’t know how he will deal with it. He needs to get used to the power and pressure of 168 because it’s a big difference, to be honest,” Bivol explained. “Maybe he will get used to it and how he’ll be feeling. But he’s able. He has good skills. He’s awkward and can use both hands. It gives him benefits.”

However, Bivol emphasized that mental preparation is just as crucial as physical readiness. ‘If he’s mentally ready, he’ll handle the punches well… Alvarez has strong defense—one of his biggest strengths. He uses his body effectively.‘

While Bivol is literally laying out a guide for Crawford to beat Canelo, ‘Bud’ seems to be on a mission to invigorate Canelo following a series of slow performances. 

Terence Crawford thinks he can force Canelo Alvarez to go all out

Terence Crawford believes he’s the perfect fighter to reignite Canelo Alvarez’s aggressive side. While Alvarez has continued to dominate his opponents, he hasn’t scored a stoppage victory in his last five fights, settling for unanimous decisions against Gennadiy Golovkin, John Ryder, Jermell Charlo, Jaime Munguia, and Edgar Berlanga.

Crawford feels he can push Canelo to his best. “Canelo has been holding back a lot in his last few fights,” Crawford told The Ring. “I don’t think Canelo has really been as excited to get up for those fights. I think he held Munguia up… With Berlanga, it was what it was… With Charlo, Charlo was moving a lot. Canelo won every round.”

Crawford then added, “He didn’t really feel the need to go in there and just maul him down. With me, he’s going to be the best Canelo that we have seen yet.”  Having said that, as per Dmitry Bivol, Terence Crawford has a good shot at beating Canelo Alvarez if ‘Bud’ gets used to fighting at 168 pounds and is mentally ready for it. However, the question is, can Crawford do what Bivol says? Or will Canelo’s power ultimately prove superior?