“Mention one elite fighter.” Last month, Canelo Alvarez put a giant asterisk on Terence Crawford‘s illustrious record with a single line. Ahead of arguably the biggest matchup of the modern generation, the duo sat alongside Shaquille O’Neal, Tom Brady, and Dana White on The G.O.A.T.S. podcast.

The pair took shots at each other, with ‘Canelo’ getting the best of the exchange when he raised questions over Crawford’s lack of wins over well-known names. According to the Mexican juggernaut, despite being an undefeated four-division world champion, the Nebraskan hasn’t defeated anyone worthy. And as the September 13 showdown draws closer, it seems like Canelo Alvarez isn’t the only one holding that sentiment.

A few days ago, Eddie Hearn appeared on the Ring Champs with AK and Barak podcast. The trio dived deep into the current boxing landscape, including the upcoming Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford bout. As AK Reyes asked the Matchroom head honcho, who has promoted Canelo for eight of his fights, to predict the outcome of the clash, he replied, “You see, the thing is with Terence, he’s got massive self-belief and that’s quite dangerous. Like, he has no doubt that he beats Canelo Alvarez. ” Hearn believes that self-confidence can be threatening, especially against a formidable opponent like Canelo Alvarez.

The promoter doubled down on his prediction, echoing what the undisputed super middleweight champion said last month. “He’s a great fighter, but I have to say, like, tell me his major significant wins,” he asked, raising questions over Terence Crawford’s resume. Barak was quick to reply, mentioning the Nebraskan’s victory over Errol Spence Jr. “I agree. I mean, look, he was coming off, you know, some eye problems and but we give him that credit. Tell me more,” Hearn responded. Barak mentioned the likes of Kell Brook and Shawn Porter, but the British promoter was not convinced, arguing that Kell Brook was almost at the end of his career when he lost. “It’s not Terrence’s fault, right? But when you look at pure resumes, I actually think Canelo’s resume is so underrated,” he added, doubling down on his argument.

The 46-year-old even played down Terence Crawford’s win over Israil Madrimov because of how much the 41-0 fighter struggled against him. And now, he has to jump up two divisions from there, which will be even more of a struggle. “This isn’t at 54 and this isn’t at 60, right? This is at 68 against a massive 68. I think gun to head for me, you have to side with Canelo,” he explained.

This size difference and experience have led most experts to favor Canelo Alvarez ahead of the September 13th blockbuster bout. Honestly, this will be the biggest challenge that the 37-year-old has ever gone up against. And it seems like he has found the perfect game plan.

Terence Crawford’s master plan to tackle Canelo Alvarez’s size

Last month, in an interview with Mail Sport Boxing, the two-division undisputed champion opened up about his expectations from the Canelo fight. The tone shifted when the interviewer asked whether everyone is oversimplifying the fight by making it just about the size. “We don’t know yet, until we fight,” Bud replied, calm and composed.

“I can’t never say somebody is bigger and more powerful if I never been in the ring with them,” the 41-0 boxer added. Terence Crawford has fought countless opponents in his career, and in his experience, size doesn’t always equal power. The interviewer probed further, pointing out Manny Pacquiao‘s legendary win over Oscar De La Hoya despite the size difference. And will he use a similar tactic, focusing on speed and timing against Canelo Alvarez?

“Well, all that goes hand in hand. My style, I’m very powerful, explosive, strong. That’s why I have the ability to adapt to a lot of fighters because I can do so many things in the ring,” Crawford replied, setting the record straight.

Well, despite what everyone believes, Terence Crawford is not intimidated by Canelo’s size. Come fight night, he will have a plan ready. However, only time will tell whether it will work for him or not. What do you think?