Canelo Alvarez Vs. Terence Crawford Breakdown

Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford square off on September 13 in an Undisputed Super Middleweight bout, as we look at how the fighters may approach this. 

Canelo, the undisputed super middleweight champion, defeated William Scull in May to become undisputed at the weight class for a second time. While Canelo never looked in danger of losing, the performance was criticized by Canelo’s failure to press the action, something not helped by Scull who was on the back foot. 

Crawford enters the ring as a four-division world champion, having captured the WBA junior middleweight title with a unanimous decision victory over Israil Madrimov last August. He will move up two weight classes for this fight. Since then he has only had one fight at 154, while also not having boxed at 160 and 168 before, this will be a massive challenge. 

The Approach

Canelo cannot get frustrated by Crawford’s movement, a mistake he made in his last fight against William Scull. He must focus on body punching to slow down Crawford. If he can get inside and left off his combinations, it will be tough for Crawford. 

Canelo will have to cut off the ring. By cutting off the ring and trapping Crawford against the ropes, he can force a toe-to-toe battle, where his size and power will be a huge advantage. Canelo must apply steady pressure in the late rounds. Crawford has a reputation for improving as the fight goes on, and Canelo must have enough in the tank.

Crawford must use his speed and versatility to keep Canelo off balance. His primary weapon will be his ability to switch stances. This allows him to create angles and keep opponents guessing. He used this to great effect in his dominant win over Errol Spence Jr. Crawford must also control the distance with a busy jab. By establishing his jab early, Crawford can make Canelo second-guess his movements and prevent him from settling into a rhythm. Roy Jones has questioned whether Canelo has the motivation.

“Bud is a champion, and says a lot. And on top of that, Bud is still hungry. Canelo, I don’t know if he has that hunger still left in him. If he was still hungry, then we’re in for a good night. If he’s not hungry, it’s going to be rough,” Jones said