One of Canelo Alvarez’s Toughest Opponents Reveals How Terence Crawford Can Win

One former Canelo opponent has revealed his advice for Terence Crawford.
Saul "Canelo" Alvarez during the game International Friendly on September 7, 2024.
Saul "Canelo" Alvarez during the game International Friendly on September 7, 2024. | IMAGO / Agencia-MexSport

Canelo Alvarez will defend his undisputed super middleweight title against Terence Crawford on September 13 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. It's a fight of epic proportions with both their legacy's on the line.

Crawford, 41-0-0 with 31 KOs, is looking to become the first male boxer to become the undisputed champion in three weight classes. However, he has a tough task at hand as he has to get the better of a pound-for-pound great in Canelo Alvarez. The Mexican is 63-2-2 with 39 KO wins.

Out of Alvarez's 67 professional fights, a handful have been difficult. Back in 2014, Erislandy Lara gave Alvarez one of the hardest fights of his career, which the Mexican won via split decision. Lara used his movement well to get Canelo to hesitate, something William Scull tried to do in May, but he was heavily criticized for avoiding a 'fight'.

Erislandy Lara tells Terence Crawford how to beat Canelo Alvarez

Lara reckons Crawford has to use his legs well and move in and out of range. He added that how Crawford handles Canelo's power could determine a lot. Speaking to FightHype, the 42-year-old WBA middleweight champion said:

"I see it as an interesting 50-50 fight. I feel that Canelo is very strong right now, and I want to see how Crawford handles the power, especially in the early rounds, and what’s going to happen."

Lara added: "I remember fighting Canelo 14 years (11 years) ago. I remember, I used my legs real good. As long as Crawford uses his legs and doesn’t let Canelo hit him in the arms and beat him up on the arms, he has a very good chance of winning."

Lara's advice could be crucial for Crawford, as Canelo himself recently praised the Cuban-American very highly. Movement might actually be key for Crawford.

That said, judging by Crawford's career, he is a fighter at heart. Hence, it's unlikely 'Bud' would look to circle around the ring the entire time and at certain point, he might look to engage with Canelo.

How he handles what's being dished out could turn out to be decisive.

Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford
IMAGO / Hoganphotos

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Apratim Banerjee
APRATIM BANERJEE

Apratim is a Boxing and Soccer reporter for On SI. He has been in the industry for five years, having also worked for The Sporting News, Sportskeeda, EssentiallySports, and more. After coming from an engineering background, he started pursuing a career in sports media. Apratim also holds an MSc. Sport Marketing degree from Loughborough University London and is a keen practitioner of social media and digital marketing. In his spare time, Apratim likes to play an array of sports and practice calisthenics. He is also an avid enthusiast of improving his martial arts skills.