A Battle of Kings: Which Boxer Will Rule After the Fight of the Century?
Some fights transcend the world of boxing: Manny Pacquiao versus Floyd Mayweather Jr., Evander Holyfield versus Mike Tyson, Muhammad Ali versus George Foreman. Fights that plant themselves firmly into the title of world news. Monumental events. Moments in history. Titans are clashing at the highest peak under the brightest lights. In a matter of hours, audiences around the world will bear witness to a fight that lives among these accolades: Saúl “Canelo” Alvarez versus Terence “Bud” Crawford, two freight trains colliding, legends crossing paths, history-making material. A man who has remained at the top of his craft for over twenty years, and another who has risen to the peak without a singular loss. The time has come to break down their final meeting happening this evening.
The pride of Mexico, the undisputed Super Middleweight champion of the world, Canelo, has been at the top of the heap for as long as some professional boxers have been alive. His unbelievable record of 63-2-2 speaks for itself. The only losses on his record came at the hands of Dmitry Bivol and Floyd Mayweather. Two of the best to ever enter the ring. Both losses forced him to elevate his skills, surpass his limits, and improve when others would’ve sulked. It is not by accident, nor chance, that Canelo has managed to outperform three different generations of boxers. Tonight, he faces yet another tremendous challenge. An undefeated switch-hitter from Omaha. A man who has not yet found his peer, Terence Crawford.
In boxing, much like dance, it takes two to tango. The greatest dance partners have brought out the best in the people they shared the floor with. Likewise, when two elite boxers enter the ring, their shared greatness can elevate each other. Jabs become more precise, slips more fluid, hooks more powerful. At this point in his storied career, it seems Crawford has yet to find a boxer who challenges him in a way that elevates his own greatness. The moments where Crawford was most doubted turned out to be the moments he shone the brightest. Analysts believed Errol Spence Jr. could very well have been too much for Crawford to handle. They couldn’t have been more wrong. His dismantlement of Spence is still talked about today, furthering the notion that Crawford has yet to find someone capable of challenging him to his fullest inside the ring. Unanswered questions always provide asterisks to great legacies. Would Mayweather be undefeated if he fought his opponents in their prime? Would Ali succeed in any generation but his own? Crawford knew that to complete his legacy without an asterisk, a higher challenge was required. Thus, Canelo and Crawford face each other in the match of the century.
This fight is hard to predict, as all the greatest battles have been. Crawford is seemingly invincible; rising two weight classes is not only hard on the body, but the mind as well. The looming threat of a credentialed boxer like Canelo, a man who has dominated Super Middleweight for years, would be nearly impossible for anyone to imagine, let alone act out. For Canelo, the incoming threat of an undefeated knockout artist like Crawford is daunting, but when you’ve fought the best fighters in the world for as long as you’ve been a professional, matches like these become another day at the office. Hold your position or lose it. The credo of all title fights. A credo Canelo long ago learned. You don’t stand at the summit for as long as Canelo has without getting used to the atmosphere. He’s shown time and time again that the moment is not too big for him, the lights are never too bright. If there is anyone who can stop Crawford, it’s Canelo. This match has become a retelling of stories humans have shared since language was first practiced. The unstoppable force meets the immovable object. Will Crawford crash or will Canelo topple? Tonight, the world finds out, and another entry in the long, mythical history of boxing is added to an ever-growing catalogue.
