Terence Crawford has to try to challenge one of the all-time Super Middleweight greats when he takes on Canelo Alvarez
“Bud” will make the jump up to the 168 lb weight class to challenge Canelo Alvarez in what is his debut at Super Middleweight.
The undefeated four-weight champion will have to overcome a massive size and weight difference, one that experts predict will have a huge impact on the outcome of the bout.
Putting on 28 lbs of muscle will be no easy feat for Crawford, who also has Canelo’s incredible record at Super Middleweight to contend with on September 13.
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Canelo Alvarez is undefeated at Super Middleweight and broke records in the division
Looking back at Canelo’s record since moving up to 168 lbs, it is clear that Crawford may have bitten off more than he can chew ahead of their undisputed title fight.
The Mexican stepped up to Super Middleweight to fight Rocky Fielding for the WBA belt, just months after Canelo’s rematch against Gennady Golovkin.
He knocked out Fielding in the third round, stepping back down to Middleweight for two more fights because going back up permanently, beating Callum Smith and Avni Yildirim just months apart.
| Number | Opponent | Date |
| 1 | Rocky Fielding | December 15, 2018 |
| 2 | Callum Smith | December 19, 2020 |
| 3 | Avni Yildirim | February 27, 2021 |
| 4 | Billy Joe Saunders | May 8, 2021 |
| 5 | Caleb Plant | November 6, 2021 |
| 6 | Gennady Golovkin | September 17, 2022 |
| 7 | John Ryder | May 6, 2023 |
| 8 | Jermell Charlo | September 30, 2023 |
| 9 | Jaime Munguia | May 4, 2024 |
| 10 | Edgar Berlanga | September 14, 2024 |
| 11 | William Scull | May 3, 2025 |
Canelo’s violent win over Billy Joe Saunders unified the Super Middleweight belts, while his knockout of Caleb Plant in November 2021 made the Mexican the first undisputed champion in the weight class in the history of boxing.
He followed that up with five more wins, including a trilogy fight with Golovkin, before he kicked off the $400 million deal with Riyadh Season, where Canelo beat William Scull.
While Canelo hasn’t knocked anyone out since Saunders in 2021, he has been a dominant personality in the ring, controlling fights and never looking like he would be beaten at 168 lbs.
Never being knocked down in his career, the champion will not be worried about the power of the undefeated Crawford, for one clear reason
Terence Crawford’s debut at Light Welterweight showed worrying signs for the unbeaten champion
With how incredible Canelo has been since jumping up to Super Middleweight, Crawford’s struggle when fighting at Light Middleweight will worry the undefeated fighter ahead of Saturday’s fight.
In August last year, Crawford moved from his usual Welterweight to challenge Israil Madrimov to win his fourth world title in a different weight class.
While Crawford has 31 knockouts to his name, he looked nowhere close to finishing off the Uzbek Madrimov, as he lacked the weight behind his power punches to take down his opponent.
Bud was the better of the two fighters, but going 12 rounds for the first time since 2016 was a worry for him, and could spell disaster against Canelo.
With his famous power ineffective at 154 lbs, he will struggle even more at Super Middleweight. Crawford boasts tremendous power, speed, and stamina, but he won’t be able to keep all three with his mammoth weight gain.
While this is a dream fight, it is looking like a step too far for Crawford. His performance against Madrimov was good, but not what it needed to be to prove he was good enough to beat Canelo.
Since going to Super Middleweight in 2018, Canelo has only lost once. That came during a brief flirtation with Light Heavyweight, when a loss to Dmitry Bivol knocked him back down to earth.
It was clearly one weight class too many and should serve as a warning to Crawford ahead of September 13.