Image of Terence Crawford and Canelo Alvarez facing off with inset of Shakur Stevenson close up. Credit: Steve Marcus/Richard Pelham via Getty Images

Shakur Stevenson names Terence Crawford performance that made him want Canelo Alvarez fight for ‘Bud’ years ago

Originally posted on Bloody Knockout | By Donal Long | Last updated Aug 4, 2025 5:29 PM ET

Shakur Stevenson is a decorated athlete as he has the title of being a three-division world champion.

Known for his defensive abilities and his boxing IQ, Stevenson has a deep knowledge of the sport despite being just 28 years old.

However, Stevenson’s knowledge does not only correlate to his own fights. In an interview with the Ring Magazine, Stevenson explained how by watching a Terence Crawford performance, he envisioned ‘Bud’ meeting Canelo Alvarez.

However, the referenced fight happened years before the matchup was announced.

Photo by Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy/Getty Images

Shakur Stevenson has wanted Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford since 2021

Canelo versus Crawford is currently one of the most anticipated fights of modern boxing. On September 13th, the pair will finally meet in Las Vegas.

The fight was made official in the earlier part of 2025, however, Stevenson has been calling for the bout since 2021.

Speaking on the fight, the world champion said, “I ain’t going to lie, I’ve been putting it out there since he [Crawford] fought Shawn Porter.”

In November 2021, Crawford faced Porter in Las Vegas as ‘Bud’ defended his world welterweight title via TKO. After the fight, Porter announced his retirement.

“I said that I think Terence Crawford beats Canelo Alvarez right after he fought Shawn Porter,” Stevenson said. “I’ve been saying it since before Bud was saying it.”

The American added that he felt due to Alvarez’s style, he felt Crawford was the only fighter who would be able to beat him.

Shakur Stevenson says that Canelo Alvarez may struggle with Terence Crawford as a southpaw

Crawford is known as a fighter who can box out of both stances. However, Stevenson feels that if Crawford operates from southpaw, it could cause problems to the Mexican.

“Him being a southpaw makes it a little harder for Canelo. I think Canelo has some trouble with southpaws.

“When I watch him fight John Ryder… Canelo was fighting against a southpaw and it made it a little bit harder for him.”

Stevenson then added that Crawford’s problems with Israil Madrimov were due to his opponent being so talented, and is a much different stylistic matchup than Alvarez.

This article first appeared on Bloody Knockout and was syndicated with permission.

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