The Super Fight

Canelo Álvarez vs. Terence Crawford (via Arabnews.com)

In the world of fighting, fans are divided. In one corner, you have the traditionalists, or more commonly known as, boxing fans. These are fans that appreciate the true art, technique, and intelligence of boxing. In the other corner, we have the new-comers. These are fans who experienced the era of mixed martial arts, growing up with the Jon Jones’ and the Conor Mcgregor’s of the world. These are individuals that appreciate variety. Fans that obsess over all facets of fighting being put together into one beautiful sport. But what comes out of this? Conflict. Boxing fans and MMA fans have never seemed to agree on which sport is superior. The age old debate has only furthered the rift between the two parties.

However, on September 13th, all fans will come together, for what is likely to be the biggest fight of the decade; a true super fight. Undisputed super middleweight champion, Saul “Canelo” Álvarez looks to defend his titles against a pound-for-pound all time great, Terence “Bud” Crawford. There’s so much to dissect and analyze in this fight, but why not start with the most important subject; what’s at stake for both competitors.

This fight goes way beyond the belts. This is two all-time great warriors, looking to cement their status with a signature victory.

For Canelo, this will be the cherry on top of what already is an unparalleled resume. With victories over the likes of Gennady Golovkin (3x), Caleb Plant, Miguel Cotto, Callum Smith, and Billy Joe Saunders, the Mexican has virtually nothing left to prove.

Having a stunning record of 63-2, with two draws, no one outside of Floyd Mayweather and Dmitry Bivol have been able to figure out Canelo. His combination of brutal power, slick head movement, and flawless defense have caused problems for the world's best fighters. Canelo stalks his opponents, cutting off the ring, chopping opponents down like trees with punches to the shoulders and arms, before finding the finishing shot to end the fight. 

On the other side, we have a fighter jumping up two weight classes, roughly twenty pounds, to defy all odds and make history.

41 have tried, and they’ve all failed. Terence Crawford will undoubtedly go down as one of the greatest fighters to ever live, and this fight only further confirms his pursuit of greatness. Crawford is one of the best switch hitters the sport has ever seen, being equally effective in the orthodox and southpaw stance, overwhelming opponents with elite counter-punching and footwork.

Having dominated the 147 pound division, retaining undisputed status, Crawford decided to move up to 154 pounds for his last fight, against Israil Madrimov. Although Bud emerged victorious, holes in his game were exposed, but the main issue seemed to be his lack of size. Madrimov was able to find success in the clinch versus Crawford, overwhelming him with physicality. Now, Crawford is attempting to jump up another two whole weight classes, to fight an athlete who’s dominated the division for years. 

This leads to the most prominent issue in this fight, the size gap. Despite Crawford being

the taller fighter with a longer reach, it’s clear that Canelo will have a significant size and strength advantage. Canelo will look to stalk Bud, cutting off the ring, mitigating Crawford’s elite footwork before finding the shot to finish the fight.

Many fans point to the Mexican’s fight against Jermell Charlo as the blueprint for success. Similar to Crawford, Charlo attempted to move up two weight classes to defeat Canelo, but as many fans expected, Canelo dominated the fight by virtue of brute force, walking down Charlo and finding big shots.

In order for Crawford to find success, he will need to force himself into exchanges with Canelo. An advantage he possesses is his counter punching, and as we’ve seen before, all it takes is one mistake, and Bud will find the finishing blow.

The odds lean heavily in Canelo’s favour, and rightfully so. We have yet to see him lose in this weight class, and if Crawford is unable to do it, it’s likely no one will ever.

This is an event that all fight fans will come together for. Whether you're a boxing traditionalist, or a mixed martial arts supporter, Canelo versus Crawford is one of, if not the biggest fight of all time. Will Canelo cement himself as an all-time great, or will Bud define all odds?