Saul Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford are set to clash in less than a week.
Canelo looks to defend his undisputed title while Crawford makes a huge jump in weight up to super-middleweight.
In ‘Bud’s’ last fight he made his debut in the light middleweight division where he took the WBA title from Israil Madrimov.
Crawford won his first world title at 135lbs and also campaigned at 140 & 147lbs prior to his next fight at super-middleweight.
Alvarez’s last ring appearance was in May where he made his Riyadh Season debut against William Scull, reclaiming the undisputed title with a unanimous decision win.
The pair are now set to meet at Allegiant Stadium on Saturday with the Mexican’s belts on the line, as Crawford looks to become a first ever three-weight undisputed world champion.
Some of boxing’s biggest names have had their say on the clash.
Roy Jones Jr
International boxing Hall of Famer, Roy Jones Jr is no stranger to jumps in weight, moving from middleweight to heavyweight throughout his illustrious career.
“You know it’s a hard one to call and I’m gonna tell you why it’s a hard one to call, it all comes down to how Canelo approaches the fight,” the 56-year-old told Pro Boxing Fans.
“If Canelo approaches the fight like he’s the man and he can box and he can outbox Terence Crawford then he will get beat.
“If he comes out and shows that he really wants to come out and prove that he’s still the best then he might win.
“It all depends on which Canelo comes to the dance.”
David Haye
Former cruiserweight and heavyweight world champion spoke to Pro Boxing Fans ahead of the mega-fight.
“They’ve both got the fire power and the experience and finishing to beat each other.
“If one of them gets hit with a massive shot it won’t just be one shot, it will be one shot followed by three, four, five, six shots.
“At least someone’s gonna go down, I can see that happening both ways. They’re both that good.
“They have both got great chins but once again something has got to give.
“Something has got to break on one of them and who is it that has less miles on the clock.
“They have both proven they have got the heart, the punch variety.
“If they were both computer characters everything would be like near the top.”
Manny Pacquiao
Possibly the most infamous boxer to jump up across weight classes would be Filipino sensation, Manny Pacquiao.
‘Pac Man’ is an eight-weight world champion facing some of the sports’ greatest names including Floyd Mayweather, Ricky Hatton and Oscar De La Hoya.
Pacquiao recently returned to the ring in July against Mario Barrios, fighting to a draw in Las Vegas.
The 46-year-old gave some direct advice to Crawford when speaking to Pro Boxing Fans.
“My advice to him as he’s moving up for his upcoming fight make sure that he focuses on speed, he focuses on how to improve his strength whilst maintaining his speed.”
Hamzah Sheeraz
Fellow super-middleweight campaigner, Sheeraz gave his prediction for the clash going for a surprising one-sided result.
“I expect the fight to be very competitive for the first six rounds and then Canelo will take over and dominate.”
Sheeraz and Canelo share a former opponent in Edgar Berlanga with the Brit stopping Berlanga in five rounds.
Jarrell Miller
Heavyweight contender Jarrell Miller has given his say on the main event.
Crawford showed his strength in a video shared by Pro Boxing Fans where he can be seen wrestling ‘Big Baby’ at an event in Turkey.
“I’m pulling for Crawford to win this one.
“I think people are underestimating his strength right now and his size.
“I think he is a little more hungry than Canelo so let’s see.
“I like both guys but I’m a little closer to Crawford so let’s see if Crawford can take it.”
Antonio Tarver
Former light-heavyweight world champion, Antonio Tarver gave a fascinating breakdown of how Crawford approaches fights and just how big of a test he offers the Mexican champion.
“Terence has got to be Terence, he is a real Deep thinker.
“He processes fights like nobody else and he’s processed this Canelo fight, he’s seen it, he went through it two or three times already.
“He knows how this ends, you can tell the way he shadow boxes, he’s visualising Canelo being right there in front of him.
“That’s the type of master boxer that Canelo is going to be facing.
“Canelo hasn’t faced an opponent like this in a long time.
“I think Canelo is going to have to go back to the Caleb Plant fight and look that good, that active.
“Weight isn’t going to make a difference it’s going to be the skillset and how bad they want it.”
Bill Haney
Father and coach of former lightweight undisputed world champion Devin Haney, Bill Haney spoke on the clash.
“That’s the biggest fight in boxing right now.
“Canelo is big and shoutout to Crawford for stepping up but does Crawford have to be more worried about more things than just boxing?”
Daniel Jacobs
Daniel Jacobs has faced Canelo, losing a majority decision to the Mexican in 2019 and has known Terence Crawford since his amateur days.
“I had at least over 15 years of knowing him, amateur, professional, I’ve seen where he started and I have seen how he’s gotten better over time.
“I know what resides in him, he’s a dog, he’s a beast and he’s out to prove something too.
“I’m excited about this fight.
“Canelo obviously is self explanatory, theres no ned to go down a rabbit whole when it comes to him
“I do see this as a 50-50 fight.
“If I was a betting man I would bet on Crawford but also to I wouldn’t count Canelo out.”
