By Abu Mahmood: A fighter will search for one moment throughout their career. Some are unfortunate enough not to get such an opportunity. Others will strive and push themselves to the limit to etch their name in the history books.
They will repeatedly climb that mountain just so they can have their hand raised and be called “World Champion” in front of the whole world. Once this is achieved, what is left to pursue?
Some fighters avoid each other, and some fighters want to fight each other, but many issues plague the fight being made, but sometimes in boxing, we see the absolute epitome of the human desire for greatness and for the distinction of being called the greatest of all time. becomes that trumps all issues and shows both fighters intent on being the proverbial “king of the jungle”.
How often in the sport of boxing do we see 2 of the top Pound-4-Pound fighters fight each other?
With talks and efforts being made to possibly see the dynamic Terence Crawford (41-0-0, 31 KOs) take on ring general Canelo Álvarez (61-2-2, 39 KOs), what better time to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of both fighters?
Terence Crawford
Strengths
Switch-hitter: Crawford can fight in both the Orthodox and Southpaw positions. An ability that allows him to confuse his opponents as they won’t see the punches coming from different angles. Since he is comfortable in both stances, he can strike with power from more angles than one would normally do fighting in one stance.
When Crawford fought Shawn Porter (31-4-1, 17 KOs), he was able to switch positions which led to him stopping Porter in the tenth round. Changing stances allows a fighter to unlock new ways to disrupt the flow of the opponent and allows the fighter to dictate the pace of the fight.
Ring IQ: Crawford is very aware of his position in the ring and has a very good understanding of how to protect himself when sliding or rolling out of the way of a punch. Against Israil Madrimov (10-1-1, 7 KOs), Crawford was able to predict the punch Madrimov would throw and make him miss, leaving him open for a counter.
Crawford is a very technical fighter; he leaves no mistakes unpunished. When Madrimov countered on an uppercut, Crawford was able to answer right back with an uppercut of his own, which set the distance perfectly.
Finishing Ability: Terence Crawford can methodically break down his opponents by analyzing what their most common angles and go-to moves are. This allows him to work to counter and eventually finish his opponents. When Crawford senses that his opponent can be put away for good, he does not rush in for the “kill”, he waits and continues to apply the pressure before unleashing his finishing blow.
Footwork: Crawford is a very reactive fighter. Always moving, he makes himself very difficult to hit. He uses his footwork to create angles, to cut off the ring, and to make the opponent feel like he doesn’t have enough space to work in.
Weaknesses
Fighting on the back foot: Terence Crawford is not at his best when faced with an aggressive fighter. One that builds up their aggression and their pressure. This was shown in fights against Kell Brook (40-3-0, 28 KOs) and Egidijus Kavaliauskas (24-2-1, 19 KOs), where he was in trouble.
Although Crawford was victorious in both fights, Crawford will face a bigger and equally aggressive opponent when he moves up to middleweight to fight Canelo.
Susceptibility to body shots: Crawford prefers to maintain a high guard when actively blocking shots which allows him to be susceptible to body shots. In his most recent fight against Madrimov, where he moved up to fight an obviously bigger opponent, he was hit with regular body shots.
As you move up a weight class you get more power, if he faces Canelo Crawford will get hit with body shots which will impact his footwork and it will start to shut him down leading to slower reactions and less output.
Canelo Alvarez
Strengths:
Ring Presence: Canelo has a ring presence that often leaves his opponents in awe. This combination of awe and nervousness can lead to Canelo taking control of a fight very quickly. As they say in boxing “You never want to play catch”. Once the flow of a fight is firmly in a fighter’s control, it is very difficult to take it back, leading to the opponent resigning themselves to being the B-side on the night.
Adaptability: Canelo can adapt on the road against his opponents. He can recognize if a fighter repeats the same thing or if a fighter has an alert that allows him to plan how to counter while in the middle of the fight.
Some examples from his career include when he countered Billy Joe Saunders (30-1-0, 14KOs) with an uppercut that crushed Saunders’ orbital bone and was the beginning of the end.
Another example of Canelo’s ability to adapt would be when he fought Amir Khan (34-6-0, 21KOs) and was slightly frustrated by his speed until he started targeting Khan’s body with power shots to ‘ creating an opening for a devastating right hand that lay. Khan out cold.
Calm under pressure: One could argue that Canelo has more to prove by defending his world titles than the challenger trying to dethrone him. That said, Canelo can remain calm under pressure in his fights, allowing him to stay focused on the task at hand without being swayed by emotions or the crowd. The bigger the fight, the more eyes are on the event, and it takes a special individual to stay calm with all that pressure on their shoulders.
Resilience: Canelo is a very resilient fighter. He sticks to the game plan and rarely deviates from it. He adjusts the style as needed and sticks to it. Most of the time, he is content to walk down his opponent and cut off the ring, allowing him to break his opponent down.
Weaknesses:
Flat-footed: Canelo, at this stage of his career, prefers to use a simpler, flat-footed stance, which slows him down and allows other boxers to beat him. This allows him to lose rounds and take longer to break down his opponent. Dmitry Bivol (23-0-0, 12KOs), was able to take advantage of this and beat Canelo with a more active stance and approach.
Struggles against boxers who rely on footwork: Canelo has struggled against fighters like Billy Joe Saunders and Caleb Plant (22-2-0, 13Kos) because of their ability to move around the ring and stay on their feet. Although Canelo beat both Saunders and Plant, he visibly struggled to keep up with their movement which could negatively affect him if Crawford can maintain his fluidity at that weight.
This fight would be one of the biggest challenges for both fighters. Crawford would risk greatness against one of the most accomplished fighters of the past decade. Canelo will face one of the most technical and elusive fighters in the world today.
Both men would fight here for something more than world titles. They would fight for legacy and the right to be known as one of the most distinctive fighters in the history of boxing.
This writer believes that it would be a tough game to begin with. Canelo and Crawford would spend the first few rounds adjusting to each other’s styles with some big shots thrown. This fight would come down to one thing: Mental Willpower.
Many times we see a fighter persevere through difficult moments in a fight only to come back and win. It’s one of the things we like to see as boxing fans, and it’s one of the things that makes the sport of boxing more inspiring.
