By Norm Frauenheim
Pressure is for tires, Hall of Fame pundit Charles Barkley once said famously.
A couple of weeks before opening bell, however, there’s more than just hot air evident in the anticipation building for the Canelo Alvarez-versus-Terence Crawford fight Sept. 13 in front of an expected football-sized crowd at Las Vegas Allegiant Stadium.
Alongside big money, lots of legacy is at stake for fighters already wealthy, yet still pursuing proof of what they’ve done and who they’ve become.
Legacy, of course, is overused enough to be meaningless these days. Just about everybody has one. But the size and significance of Canelo-Crawford puts a spotlight on careers that will meet in a collision that promises to provide a real answer.
Who’s the best of their generation? That’s the simple question. Crawford is 37; Canelo is 35. They come from different weight classes, are from different places, are motivated by different opinions and answer to different fan bases.
Over the years, however, they have emerged as rivals despite that difference in weight, which ironically might be what determines the answer.
But the weight was close enough to be negotiable. Only the date, place and purse remained. Where better than in a four-sided ring where two fighters will seek to be the definitive best of an era they defined? It doesn’t happen that often.
Forget those historical parallels, which have often turned boxing into little more than an exasperating video game.
To wit: How would Oleksandr Usyk, the best heavyweight of this era, have done against Muhammad Ali? Okay, it’s a fun argument, but still mere fantasy. There’s no answer. Never will be. But one is possible in Canelo-Crawford. It’s what makes Canelo-Crawford special. It’s not virtual reality. It’s blood-and-guts real, rare in this day and perhaps in any other.
That’s where the pressure starts. It’ll be there, building throughout next week, fight week, weigh-in, opening bell and post-fight conversation.
For now, it also explains all of the talk preceding the bout between Crawford, an all-time great at welterweight who is coming up from junior-middleweight and jumping two divisions to fight Canelo, the greatest super-middleweight in history.
The biggest risk — in the ring, at least — appears to be in Crawford’s corner, simply because he’s never taken, much less endured, a punch in a sanctioned bout from a true 168-pound fighter.
How will Crawford react when Canelo lands the power that is his trademark? There’s no answer until it lands. That uncertainty sums up the odds. Since the fight was announced, they’ve never changed. Canelo was a slight favorite then. He’s a slight favorite now.
It’s a reflection of an old, reliable guide in a game that has seen it all. To wit: In a fight between two good fighters, always bet on the bigger one.
The documented difference in weight might force Crawford to take a chance. If he hopes to win, he’ll have to step into Canelo’s dangerous wheelhouse at some point. By any definition, that’s a huge risk.
Yet, Crawford might be the personification of what, who Barkley was talking about with his dismissive take on pressure.
Crawford has been known for his cool, calculating demeanor throughout his reign as a four-division champion, including undisputed at 140 pounds (junior-welterweight) and 147 (welter). Ringside commentators like to say Crawford has the It factor. It is in his composure. It is overall poise
In Boxing Speak, Crawford is also known for another intangible called Ring IQ. There’s no exam to measure that, other than his unbeaten record. Let’s just say he knows what he’s doing with a versatile, two-handed style that includes unerring anticipation and a keen predatory instinct. If there’s a weakness, he’ll find it.
And attack it.
If there’s a weakness in Canelo, it appears to be his endurance, especially in the later rounds against fighters known for agile footwork. Crawford’s middleaged feet don’t move at the rate they did a decade ago.
But Canelo’s scorecard loss in May 2022 to light-heavyweight Dmitrii Bivol – perhaps mandatory viewing in Crawford’s video library – showed what’s possible in the late rounds. Canelo gets tired.
If that fatigue factor persists, there’s an opportunity for Crawford if he can withstand – survive – Canelo’s power through the first six to eight rounds. That’s an IF, as big as it is decisive.
Bivol threw punches at varying angles as he moved in-and-out of harm’s way in the late rounds of a decision over Canelo. Canelo was slow to react, slower to recognize, the angles on Bivol’s punches.
Angles are one of Crawford’s unequalled specialties, an aspect augmented by his ability to switch hit. The ambi-dextrous Crawford can fight left-handed, right-handed and makes the switch from one to the other and back in quicksilver fashion.
A tired Canelo might not see what’s coming. But Crawford, who will have to prove he can endure early power shots to the body and upper arms, might have to battle through some early rocky moments just to take the fight into that late stage when Canelo has proven to be vulnerable.
Pick here: Crawford will, getting up from an early knockdown to win a narrow decision.