Every generation of boxing gives us a handful of fighters who dominate weight classes, collect belts like trading cards, and carry themselves with that unmistakable air of greatness. But even for those rare talents, there comes a moment—a single fight—that transforms a stellar career into a legendary one. For Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford, that moment is just around the corner.
When he steps into the ring against Canelo Alvarez, Crawford isn’t just fighting for a win—he’s fighting for a place among the sport’s immortals. The two pound-for-pound stars are set to collide in September, in what could be a historic showdown for the undisputed super middleweight crown—if Canelo gets past William Scull on May 3.
Both fighters are four-division champs and have ruled the post-Mayweather boxing era. Alvarez, 34, has titles from 154 to 175 pounds, across all four promotions. Crawford, 37, has climbed from lightweight all the way to junior middleweight, with undisputed reigns at 140 and 147. This one’s got legacy written all over it.
“I already see myself as one of the all-time greats,” he said yesterday. “But moving up two weight classes and taking out the soon-to-be undisputed champ at 168 without ever fighting in that division—or even the one below—that’s some Henry Armstrong-type stuff.”, he added.
The 37-year-old went on to add that he was the biggest fight for Canelo. “I’m not going to say if – but when I beat Canelo Alvarez, I think I’ll be a top three pound-for-pound fighter of all time with Sugar Ray Robinson and Muhammad Ali. I don’t think these spots will ever be taken. I think Canelo is up there with the all-time greats, too.”, he surmised in a conversation with The Ring.
Despite the shoutout to Canelo, Crawford is so confident that he doesn’t even consider the Mexican maverick his toughest opponent.
Spence, not Canelo, claims Crawford
Crawford isn’t making any bold predictions just yet. He knows facing Canelo will be a serious challenge, but he’s not about to give the WBC, WBA and WBO super middleweight champion the satisfaction.
“I can’t give a blind judgement if that’s going to be the toughest fight of my career,” he said, pointing out he had similar thoughts before the Errol Spence fight.
He respects everything Canelo brings to the table—size, strength, power, timing, defense, and world-class counter-punching—but Crawford also knows this fight is full of unknowns. No one’s seen him compete at 168 pounds before.
That leaves questions: Can he handle Canelo’s power? Can Canelo deal with Crawford’s speed and skill? Will the size gap be as big of a factor as people think? And what about the rehydration clause?
There’s a lot to unpack here, especially if the fight is being promoted as UFC bossman Dana White and Turki Alalshhikh’s new promotion’s joint debut in pugilism.
