Terence Crawford says he’d beat prime Floyd Mayweather and same-size Mike Tyson

Terence Crawford has a lot on his plate ahead of his fight against Canelo Alvarez this weekend, but that hasn’t stopped him from weighing in on how he’d fare against two boxing legends.

The undefeated Crawford will make his debut at 168lbs as he looks to hand Canelo his first defeat at super middleweight. The fight is set for June 1 at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.

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Crawford and Canelo are one of the biggest fights of the year. Fan opinions have been split over who they think will come out on top.

“I believe I would do great with Mike Tyson,” Crawford said. “He’s short, I move, and I’m quick – and I can box.”

Terence Crawford gives his take on hypothetical matchups with Floyd Mayweather and Mike Tyson

Floyd Mayweather and Terence Crawford have shown mutual respect over the years, with some even suggesting Crawford could benefit from adopting aspects of Mayweather’s style in his upcoming bout against Canelo.

Looking ahead to Mayweather’s exhibition against Tyson scheduled for next spring, the former undisputed champion shared how he thinks he would have fared against both legends during their primes.

“Me. No questions. Why would you think that I would say Floyd (Mayweather)?” Crawford told Full Send. “If Mike Tyson were my size, stylistically, I would beat him easy (sic). And Mike Tyson, you know what I mean, is well respected.

“But my size, Mike Tyson, I think Mike Tyson beat those guys because, you know, he was faster and more explosive than those guys, those heavyweight guys,” Crawford continued.

“When you look at Mike Tyson back in the day, he was ferocious.”

Crawford’s belief that he’d come out on top against Mayweather isn’t shared by everyone. In fact, one long-time boxing commentator has a different view of how that fantasy matchup would play out.

Mayweather favoured over Crawford in hypothetical matchup

Trying to follow in Mayweather’s footsteps this weekend by beating Canelo for a title, Crawford knows the level of expectation that comes with such a challenge.

Mayweather will be ringside for the bout, and talk of a fantasy matchup between him and Crawford has been making the rounds once again. The idea of those two sharing the ring is still an intriguing thought.

“(Floyd) Mayweather wants to put his name in there [amongst talk of Canelo vs. Crawford],” Davies told Boxing King Media. “I do think Mayweather would’ve beaten Terence Crawford at welterweight.”

“It would have been a fantastic fight,” Davies continued. “It’s good to see Mayweather there.”