Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford weight difference disregarded by Dmitry Bivol as he names another determining factor

Dmitry Bivol gives credit to Terence Crawford ahead of Canelo Alvarez fight

With a record of 63-2-2, only two men have ever gotten the better of Alvarez.

Floyd Mayweather spoiled Alvarez’s unbeaten record in 2013, as one of the greatest Mexican fighters of all time was on the losing side of a majority decision.

In his most recent defeat, Alvarez lost to Dmitry Bivol. Three years on from the win, Bivol has given his opinion on the upcoming fight between Alvarez and Crawford to the Ring Magazine.

After describing Crawford as ‘big’, Bivol spoke positively on ‘Bud’. “He has very good skills. He’s one of my favorite boxers. He’s able to win this fight.”

Referencing the size discrepancy between the pair, Bivol said that Crawford needs to get used to the power and pressure of Alvarez at 168 lbs.

Another positive trait that Bivol believes Crawford possesses is his ability to operate out of both southpaw and orthodox stances. “It gives him benefits.”

Dmitry Bivol plays down the significance of size for Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford

Although much has been made of Crawford ascending two weight classes to fight Alvarez, Bivol does not feel it is the actual size that matters in such a fight.

“It’s not about only getting used to the power,” Bivol said. “It’s also about being mentally ready [to fight at that weight].”

The light heavyweight champion added that if a fighter is not prepared to fight at a higher weight class, they become ‘scared and weak’.

“Mentality is important for this fight. Even though he’s [Crawford] two weight classes lower [than Alvarez], if he’s mentally ready to get punches, and he’s okay with this, he could be good.”

Bivol said that when Alvarez has dominated smaller opponents in the past, “It’s not because of weight class, it’s because of the mentality of the opponents.”