Every so often – or rather, once in a generation – there arrives a certain type of fighter who, quite simply, is regarded as the ‘full package’.
What this means is that their physical attributes, ring IQ and mindset are all of an elite standard, making it so that, within the four ropes, they remain practically impossible to beat.
With Terence Crawford, there is a sense that he is cut from the same cloth as such individuals, his aura, alone, placing him in an exclusive category of bona fide brilliance.
To put it simply, the four-division world champion has this ‘never say die’ mentality where, even on the rare occasion that it appears he might be up against it, his remarkable ability to find a way to win just always seems to kick into gear.
But that ability, of course, is reserved only for a select few, and it could even be said, for all of his accolades, Canelo Alvarez falls agonisingly short when attempting to reach that particular level of quality.
It may sound harsh, but this is where fine margins, at the top-end of any sport, can make an enormous difference.
And that is not to say that Canelo, 63-2-2 (39 KOs), isn’t great, because he most certainly is, but with Crawford – the effortlessness of each manoeuvre; how he is always thinking one-step ahead – there just seems to be an extra layer of magic.
It does not support his case, either, that Canelo just so happens to be coming off a string of rather uninspiring performances.
Quite possibly, the Mexican has simply become a victim of ‘silk pyjamas’ syndrome or, worse still, Father Time has finally caught up with him.
Both are perfectly valid diagnoses, though it is perhaps more tempting to give credence to the former.
You only have to watch the first ten minutes of the Netflix series, Countdown: Canelo vs. Crawford, to understand what type of lifestyle Canelo has created for himself.
It was somewhat comical, in fact, that one of the first scenes featuring the pound-for-pound star saw him purchase a watch for around $1.4m, almost as if he had entered a competition to buy the most expensive item of jewellery he could find.
While he was offered alternative options – one watch for around $500,000, another for a similar price – Canelo merely scoffed at the thought of reducing himself to such a standard, ruthlessly dismissing those perfectly well-crafted products as little more than fodder.
Could it be that the 34-year-old, surrounded by luxury, has lost a degree of his fierce competitive spirit?
After all, why else would he have happily trudged through 12 rounds, lacking that level of explosiveness he once had in abundance, against William Scull?
“Oh, but Scull was negative,” some have highlighted, attempting to defend Canelo’s pedestrian display.
It is all well and good saying such things, but would those same people truly believe that the Canelo who viciously hunted down Caleb Plant, or even Billy Joe Saunders, would have allowed Scull to prance around the ring, as if auditioning for a production of Swan Lake?
The fact is that, since losing to Dmitry Bivol in 2022, the undisputed super-middleweight king has hardly looked the same force.
Back to the Netflix documentary, it was also quite striking that Canelo – naturally, a far bigger man than Crawford, 41-0 (31 KOs) – seemed surprisingly small while sharing rounds with middleweight contender Yoenli Hernandez.
Hernandez, indeed, is a particularly imposing operator at 160lbs. But even so, the way in which the Cuban utilised his size against Canelo, whose physical presence is often a key advantage, was evident from the brief clips used by Netflix.
Again, it is perhaps a stretch, given that most edited footage tends to be misleading, yet one could not help but feel that Canelo came off second best during those sparring sessions.
More to the point, his size, which is widely believed to be his most significant advantage, might not represent such a telling factor when he steps into the ring this Saturday.
As for Crawford, there are very few departments, even with regards to his physical prowess, where he appears to be at a disadvantage.
His speed and balance, more specifically, are far superior to that of his opponent, and as far as natural strength is concerned, there may not be such a drastic disparity.
But ultimately, what this prediction boils down to is the assumption that, at least from an outside perspective, Crawford’s intelligence, fluid movement and sheer doggedness should give him an edge.
On top of that, the hunger of ‘Bud’ – as evidenced by his more modest lifestyle which, though more affluent than most, pales in comparison to that of his opponent – could see him fly through the gears in the heat of battle.
Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford fight prediction
Canelo is likely to bank several of the early rounds, his effective aggression proving eye-catching during their closely-contested exchanges.
After downloading sufficient data, though, Crawford should begin to take control and, eventually, establish a rhythm that remains almost impossible to disrupt.
With his more proficient footwork, the 37-year-old is then likely to tie his opponent up in knots, nullifying each attack, before claiming a convincing victory on points.
