Terence Crawford: 'I’ve Been an Underdog My Entire Life'

Crawford: Size Won’t Matter

Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) shrugged off concerns about fighting a naturally bigger opponent, embracing the familiar role of underdog.

“Anything is possible. I just have to fight my fight. … Canelo has a granite chin, but he’s been hurt before. He’s been hit cleanly, and he took it well. … I’ve been an underdog my entire life. I feel good, comfortable, I’m confident. This isn’t an unfamiliar place for me.”

Without a doubt the Omaha native’s resume speaks for itself: a three-division undisputed champion with a high fight IQ, adaptability, and finishing ability. Crawford carried an 11-fight knockout streak before his most recent win over Israil Madrimov, when he debuted at 154 pounds and claimed the WBA title.

The Canelo Factor

Alvarez (63-2-2, 39 KOs) remains one of boxing’s most decorated champions. Known for his iron chin, he’s gone 36 rounds with Gennadiy Golovkin. Taken punches from light heavyweight Dmitry Bivol, and stopped former champion Sergey Kovalev without ever being dropped.

Still, questions linger. Canelo hasn’t scored a knockout since Caleb Plant in 2021, and his recent run of seven straight decisions includes an underwhelming performance against William Scull in May.

Crawford isn’t reading too much into that fight:

“One bad performance doesn’t define a fighter. … We are looking forward to Canelo being the best Canelo he can be. Scull may not have made him get to that deeper level of training, or taking the fight as seriously as he’s taking this fight.”

What’s at Stake

For Canelo, victory would reinforce his dominance at 168 pounds and further cement his status as one of boxing’s all-time greats. For Crawford, a win would elevate him into an entirely new stratosphere becoming undisputed in a fourth division, against the biggest star in the sport.