As soon as the Terence Crawford vs. Canelo Alvarez fight received the green light, the oft-regurgitated response from the boxing community began pouring in: “Weight classes exist for a reason!” Some folks are convinced Canelo Alvarez’s sheer size will be too much for Bud Crawford, a man who was a welterweight until last year. Others? They’re betting on skill over size, saying Crawford may be smaller, but he’s sharper. So, which camp are you in? Still undecided? Well, Ronnie Shields—the World Boxing Hall of Fame’s Trainer of the Year in 2003 who now trains light heavyweight David Morrell—has already made his pick.

Now, everyone keeps bringing up how Floyd Mayweather Jr. schooled Canelo back in 2013, handing him his first-ever loss. But let’s not forget—Canelo was only 23 back then. He was still learning the ropes, and the Canelo we see today is a seasoned warrior, not the raw kid Floyd fought. That being said, Shields still believes Mayweather’s blueprint is the key to cracking the Canelo code. So, what’s the game plan?

Floyd Mayweather shows the way

In an interview with FightHype yesterday, Ronnie Shields dropped some real gems on how Terence Crawford could handle a fight against the Mexican champion. And if you’re wondering whether the 37-year-old can actually hang with Canelo at 168 lbs, Shields explained it. And yes, he can. Shields isn’t worried about the Nebraskan moving up in weight like most of the people in the boxing community. For him, the cliche holds no water. “If you have the skills to match this (brain) that’s tough to me no matter who you are. It’s not about power,” Shields posited. He believes Bud is that level of fighter, someone who could move up and still dominate purely because of his ring IQ and skill set. “You got to have the skills in this game and Terence Crawford has the skills to fight anybody in the world,” he added. So what about the weight argument?

“Well, you know, the thing about it is, Canelo would have to make 168. Crawford is not going to have no problem at 168,” he continued. Shields isn’t completely wrong here. Most boxers have to kill themselves to make weight. Then, by the time the fight rolls around, they are depleted. This won’t be an issue for Terence Crawford who will be ready come fight night. The same was the case even for the Floyd Mayweather-Canelo Alvarez fight where Floyd had to move up from 146 lbs to 150 lbs. As a result, the 50-0 boxer was replenished and healthy. “Canelo probably walks around 190 maybe or a little bit less. But Crawford probably walks about 180. So 168 is not going to be a problem for you. And people keep saying all about the weight difference. No. it ain’t that. Crawford don’t have to kill himself to get to 168. Canelo does,” Shields explained. But still, the question remains: How do you stop the juggernaut that is Canelo Alvarez? Simple. Do what Floyd did.

1. Perfecting the footwork. 2. Punching between stepping in and stepping out and forcing Canelo to reset. “Canelo wanted to press Floyd too. Tried to. Floyd kept stepping around him. He kept looking for Floyd. Floyd was right there and then we just make one or two simple moves. Canelo had to reset. Floyd never had to reset. Boom! Boom! Boom! Step around. Boom! Boom! Boom! Step around. That was it. Trust me, Crawford is going to look at that. He’s going to perfect that. And that’s why I gave it a great shot,” the 66-year-old predicted. So Shields’ advice? Stay loose, keep moving, and force Canelo to play catch-up instead of dictating the pace.

So now, if Crawford wants to survive against the bigger man, he has to float like a butterfly and never be a stationary target. And what about power? Shields says forget about it. “You can’t just be macho. It’s not about being Macho. It’s about being smart,” he concluded. However, Dmitry Bivol, who has first-hand experience of defeating Canelo Alvarez in 2022, too had something to share.

Can Terence Crawford handle Canelo Alvarez’s power? Dmitry Bivol thinks so

We got a sneak peek into what could make or break Terence Crawford in his fight against Canelo Alvarez when Dmitry Bivol sat down with Andy Clarke of Ring Magazine a few days ago. When Clarke asked for Bivol’s thoughts on the mega-fight, his first reaction was exactly what you’d expect. “First reaction, of course, is about the size of Crawford,” Bivol admitted without a second thought.

But here’s where things get interesting. The undisputed light heavyweight champion mentioned that he met Crawford last month while in Dubai, and guess what? The WBA Super Welterweight champion looked jacked. “He is one of my favorite boxers,” Bivol admitted, and despite the size difference, he believes Crawford has what it takes to win. “He’s able to win this fight,” he stated confidently. But looking good in training and surviving in the ring? Two very different things.

So, what’s the key? According to Bivol, it’s all about getting used to the power and pressure at 168 lbs. “Because it’s a big difference, to be honest.” And that’s the real challenge. However, the 24-1 boxer thinks it’s possible, but it all comes down to how Crawford feels on fight night. “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 explained. It seems everyone has some advice to give Bud Crawford. Come fight night, we’ll see if Crawford can turn advice into action and carve his name a little deeper in the boxing books.

Do you think these tips could be Terence Crawford’s secret weapon? Or will Canelo Alvarez’s size and power be just too much to handle?