Terence Crawford is gearing up for the biggest challenge of his career when he faces Canelo Alvarez.
Crawford will move up two weight classes to face Canelo for the undisputed super middleweight crown at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on September 13, live on Netflix.
A victory for the Omaha man would enhance his credentials as the greatest fighter of his generation and give him acclaim to his status as an all-time great.
The 37-year-old was asked by the Ring Magazine to remain silent until he heard a better fighter than Alvarez.
Crawford was posed with former unified super middleweight champion, Carl Froch, three-weight world champion, Felix Trinidad and Chris Eubank Jr, but did not place any of them above the Mexican great.
The four-weight world champion also shunned at the opportunity to place Hall of Fame inductees Manny Pacquiao and Bernard Hopkins above Alvarez, as well as former undisputed light heavyweight champion, Artur Beterbiev.
However, Crawford did name Oscar De La Hoya, Dmitry Bivol and Floyd Mayweather Jr as fighters better than his upcoming opponent.
Should ‘Bud’ defeat Alvarez, he will become the third man behind Mayweather and Bivol to hold wins over the 35-year-old.
Alvarez, who reclaimed the undisputed super middleweight crown after beating William Scull in May, claimed that Crawford is a better fighter than Mayweather.
“I think Crawford is a little better than Mayweather,” Canelo said.
“But Canelo has much experience right now.
“I don’t want to compare this fight with other fights.
“I think this fight is one of the best fights in boxing history.”
Crawford would have been out of the ring over a year by the time he steps into the ring against Alvarez, having not fought since a unanimous decision win over Israil Madrimov to capture the WBA super welterweight title last August.
The 37-year-old has recorded 31 knockouts from his 41 victories and believes he’s capable of inflicting a stoppage defeat on Alvarez, who has never been stopped in his 67-fight career.
“I’m not going in there looking to knock Canelo out,” he told Manouk Akopyan.
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“Could it happen? Yes absolutely.
“When I look at Canelo, he’s a smaller, bigger guy moving up in divisions.
“Being that these big guys are slower. So they might catch him with something, but he might see it at the last moment.
“They might catch him with a hard shot, but he’s able to roll and turn with it, because he’s coming from a smaller weight class that was faster, that was sharper.
“I’m coming from a smaller weight class that’s faster and sharper.
“So if he gets hit with a sharp punch that he doesn’t see, he’s definitely capable of getting hurt.
“He’s not a machine, he’s human just like me.”
