Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez is no stranger to beating fighters who have moved up two weight classes to face him.
The undisputed super middleweight champion will face the former 154 lb champion Terence Crawford in their super fight on 13 September.
Canelo, similar to Crawford, has moved two divisions above his natural weight class to become a champion in a different division.
Mexico’s own beat Sergey Kovalev in 2019 to become the WBO light heavyweight champion, finishing him with one of his ten best knockouts.
The performance of Canelo Alvarez’s opponent, who jumped up two weight classes, should be a concern for Terence Crawford
It was a brilliant feat for Alvarez to pull off, and following his wins at 168, he has put himself in the same conversation as legends like Floyd Mayweather to win a belt at five different weights.
‘Bud’ will want to cement his name among his peers when he attempts to replicate that same achievement, even if he has to contend with the natural size advantage of the champion.
However, the Omaha fighter is not the only American boxer to try his luck two weights above against Canelo.
In 2022, Jermell Charlo, the former undisputed 154 lb king, dared to be great against the modern-day legend but came up well short of the mark.
It was wall-to-wall domination from the pride of Mexico as he dropped Charlo in the seventh round to win a wide unanimous decision on the scorecards (118-109, 118-109 and 119-108).
While Jermell and Crawford may have different attributes in the ring, the way Alvarez was able to deal with the naturally smaller competitor should concern the former undisputed welterweight champion.
According to CompuBox, Saul had not only doubled the number of punches landed (134 vs 71) but also outlanded the ‘Iron Man’ in all but one of the 12 rounds.
There was also a 17% difference in connection rate between the fighters.
Canelo Alvarez’s incredible form against American fighters
These statistics are indicative of his incredible skills in the boxing ring, but his record against American fighters is something to behold.
Before he faces his 16th opponent from the USA, the pride of Mexico has beaten 14 of his rivals from the United States with only one loss to Mayweather.
His recent form has also seen him rack up six wins in a row, but this pales in comparison to Crawford’s 41-fight unbeaten streak.