Terence Crawford needs to take inspiration from one of the only opponents to beat Canelo Alvarez as he prepares to face the Mexican fighter.
“Bud” will take on Canelo Alvarez in one of the toughest fights of his life on Saturday, as Terence Crawford aims to become a three-weight undisputed Champion.
The stark size difference between the two will worry Crawford going into the fight, as he jumps up to Super Middleweight to take on Canelo in Las Vegas.
The four-weight champion will need to take inspiration from Floyd Mayweather as he forms his game plan to try and beat Canelo on September 13.
Floyd Mayweather handed Canelo Alvarez his first defeat ever in 2013
At the age of just 23, Canelo had the fight of his life when he was paired up against Floyd Mayweather in a fight between two undefeated world champions.
Canelo won the WBC Light Middleweight title from Matthew Hatton in 2011, and he defended the belt six times before booking a big-money fight against boxing’s highest-paid star in Mayweather.
Due to Canelo being the much bigger fighter, the bout was fought at catchweight, with Mayweather coming up to 152lbs and Canelo dropping down to the agreed-upon weight.
This made this a more even bout for both Mayweather and Canelo, but his performance would have been a winner at any weight class.
Mayweather put on a masterclass of defensive boxing, keeping his distance from the Mexican and making the size difference between the two completely irrelevant.
While one judge controversially scored the bout a draw, the others correctly voted Mayweather as the clear winner, ending Canelo’s undefeated run in style.
- READ MORE – Dmitry Bivol used his size to beat Canelo Alvarez in a way that should worry Terence Crawford
Terence Crawford needs to copy Floyd Mayweather’s blueprint to beat Canelo Alvarez
Mayweather’s performance is something Crawford should be studying in the build-up to his fight with Canelo, although it may already be too late.
The 50-0 former boxer outfought a 23-year-old Canelo, using his incredible movement and footwork to avoid almost all of his power shots, landing crucial counter punches throughout the fight to impress the judges.
He expertly controlled the distance, too. Despite not having the size advantage, Mayweather used his movement to keep Canelo away from him, not letting him get into close range and unleash his power shots.
Mayweather created a puzzle for Canelo to solve. His usual tactics were voided by one of the all-time greats, and that is something Crawford will need to do when he takes on Canelo.
However, Mayweather vs Canelo being a Catchweight fight at 152 lbs is a huge difference maker. Canelo had to shed weight, losing a lot of his power in the process, which is something Crawford won’t feel the benefit of at 168 lbs.
Agreeing to fight at a much heavier weight than Canelo is already comfortable with could be the biggest mistake Crawford made, and it may take a prime Mayweather-level performance to see his hand raised on Saturday.