Terence Crawford believes he will be the third man in history to beat Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, and a former world champion has highlighted a key reason why.
‘Bud’ is moving up from super welterweight to take on the undisputed 168 lb champion Canelo in a super-fight between two modern pound-for-pound greats.
The Omaha fighter has had great knockout victories over undefeated stars such as Errol Spence Jr, when he won the undisputed welterweight crown, and he will be looking to pull off the same feat on 13 September.
His Mexican rival has never been knocked down or knocked out in his 67-fight professional career and has taken shots from the biggest punchers, including the two-time unified champion Gennady Golovkin.
Terence Crawford will pose a danger to Canelo Alvarez for one reason, claims former world champion
While the four-weight world champion has been lauded as one of the best of the decade, Crawford has not been afforded the same plaudits until very recently in his own mind.
The former IBF flyweight champion, Sunny Edwards, believes the American mentality going into the fight is what will be the difference maker.
Edwards described the 37-year-old as being the ‘underdog’ in the bout and that he is backing the challenger to be victorious on the night.
During an interview with Seconds Out, he explained: “I think Terrence Crawford looks around maybe a little bit bitter at how he’s been received by the world of boxing because even though he’s been absolutely ruthless and dominant… He’s never really gotten the just desserts that he deserves.
“That’s the chip on his shoulder, which has become really dangerous, and he’s definitely capable of doing anything in the ring.
“We’ve seen more flaws (with Canelo) and more holes at certain stages than we ever have with Crawford… For me, he is the most physically capable in the world. Not only is he a master class boxer, he has that expertise in other disciplines.”
His performance against Spence Jr was the catalyst for the world of boxing to finally recognise the special talent of Crawford, and the win sent him to the pound-for-pound number one spot on the coveted Ring Magazine list.
Terence Crawford shows off his massive body transformation eight days before the Canelo Alvarez showdown
While supporters of the four-division champion ‘Bud’ are confident, they have recognised the weight difference could be a key issue for him to overcome.
He had only moved up to 154 lbs last year, which is still bridging a 14 lb difference, and due to his opponent’s natural size, no one was sure how he would look on the scales.
However, eight days before the bout, Crawford has given fans a preview of how he will size up on fight night with a post on his Instagram page.
The image shows the fighter in ripped condition and may have dispelled any worries that fans may have had that Omaha’s own would be undersized in the contest.