The Terence Crawford– Canelo Alvarez face-off remains an elusive dream. However, until the fight is on the horizon, there shouldn’t be any harm in discussing it as if the fight were happening for real. From whether the match should happen at all to its tentative outcomes, social media is rife with a multitude of talks and discussions. The general consensus is that, unless the fight takes place at a catchweight, Canelo Alvarez, as the top dog of the division, stands a better chance of winning.

For whatever is said and done, as a welterweight, Terence Crawford might have to follow Jermell Charlo‘s suit. Only the former’s would be a three-division jump, not two like Charlo. In fact, the weight difference remains the key challenge hindering the fight. But when reached out for his views on the Crawford-Alvarez match-up, former world champion Timothy Bradley believes the Nebraskan can turn the tables on the Mexican. Only he might have to take down some notes from the playbook Floyd Mayweather Jr. left many summers ago.

Terence Crawford, you just need to turn the pages of history!

So soon after Timothy Bradley wrapped up his response to the FightHype reporter’s query on the upcoming Terence Crawford and Israil Madrimov came the next poser on Canelo Alvarez. The reporter asked, “People were saying that he wouldn’t fight Crawford regardless of any type of money.” Bradley immediately took up Jermell Charlo’s example. The ‘Iron Man’ scaled up two divisions to meet Canelo Alvarez. But the fact remained that he just barely managed to survive against the Mexican icon’s onslaught. But that’s not the case with Terence Crawford. He is one of the pound-for-pound best boxers in the world. Whereas Charlo has never been ranked likewise.

‘Bud’ has been chasing Alvarez for some time now, Bradley said. But more significantly, the ‘Desert Storm’ stressed that Crawford could in fact make the grade against the super middleweight champion. Like everyone else, he has his concerns since Canelo Alvarez is a powerful hitter. However, one only needs to look at what Floyd Mayweather Jr. did when he took on the Mexican champion back in 2013.

Delivering a boxing clinic, Mayweather Jr. completely outboxed and outclassed Canelo Alvarez. So, Bradley stressed, skill-wise, Crawford shares a lot of similarities with ‘The Money’. “I mean as long as he’s not catching too many of them and he’s using his legs and his athleticism and defense to get out of the way, he should be able to beat Canelo man. Slow plotting forward, good jab, got good quickness, you know, throws a lot of hooks, cord, just get away from all of those, get underneath them, bro, he should be able to beat Canelo,“ said the ‘Desert Storm’ during the conversation. However, as it appears, ‘Tim’ Bradley may not be the only one with umpteen faith in ‘Bud’ Crawford’s skills.

Believers in brilliance

Oleksandr Usyk has also opined that Terence Crawford will win if ever the fight with Canelo Alvarez comes. ‘The Cat’ was speaking with Steve Kim and Mario Lopez on ”The 3 Knockdown Rule’. He especially mentioned Crawford’s skills as a switch hitter. He said, “I like Terrence; it’s… my friend, but it’s it’s crazy man. Listen, I… I say Terence win yes, …Terence win, but listen, Terence, it’s different, man. Terence work in two… two sides—right and left, but it’s it’s very smart, man. It’s very, very, very smart, but feel distance and the place…”

‘The 3 Knockdown Rule’ hosts, however, didn’t allow the Ukrainian champion to go away so easily. They quizzed him about the apparent weight difference between the two. The first undisputed heavyweight champion of this century couldn’t help but agree; the Mexican champion came off a bit bigger on the physical side. He is also a fantastic boxer. So, when push comes to shove, Terence Crawford would still emerge as the winner stressed Usyk.

If this fight comes to fruition, it will undoubtedly earn a place among legendary bouts like Floyd Mayweather Jr.- Manny Pacquiao’s ‘Fight of the Century’ or Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk’s ‘Ring of Fire’. That is the kind of impact the Terence Crawford and Canelo Alvarez fight carries. But the bigger question still remains. Will that fight ever come to fruition? So many, from some of boxing’s key stakeholders to fans, want to see two of the biggest faces of boxing clash.

What’s your take on Timothy Bradley’s assessment of Terence Crawford’s winnability against Canelo Alvarez?