Finally, it happened. After waiting months for the Saul Alvarez–Terence Crawford feud to heat up, the 20th June press conference delivered exactly that. Now, with a reported combined purse of $200 million, it feels like the biggest fight of the generation is here, with both fighters ready to put everything on the line to establish themselves as the superior fighter.

Ever since the bout was announced, it appeared that only Bud was taking the clash seriously. In contrast, Canelo Alvarez, with his significant weight advantage, greater star power, and reportedly larger purse split, seemed to treat it as a casual walk in the park after securing a hefty paycheck. However, that’s not the full story. The undisputed super middleweight champion is just as motivated to prove himself as Bud. That is why he’s already given up a thing he is quite frankly “addicted” to.

Canelo Alvarez will be back in form with practice

Right after the first official press conference in Riyadh, Canelo Alvarez had a candid conversation with former unified super middleweight champion Carl Froch. As someone who is aware of Canelo’s great love for golf, Froch asked, “What’s your golf handicap nowadays?” For those unaware, a golf handicap represents a golfer’s ability. In simpler terms, the lower your handicap, the better you are. “Right now, I play with 12,” the Mexican superstar replied, accepting the recent dip in his form. The reason? “Because you know, when I start training camp, I stop practice. So golf is very, you need to be there. Like I put hours and hours on practice,” he said.

Despite the dip in form, a 12 handicap is pretty decent, as Froch himself noted that his handicap is around 15.5-16. Canelo Alvarez showcased the true extent of his skills, claiming that his handicap drops to around 6 if he plays regularly. “Yeah, I’ve been in like six. When I practice. When I play more. But you know the swing go away in one week, in two weeks. Right now it’s difficult for me, but I play consistent, 12,” he said.

Alvarez picked up the sport seriously during the pandemic when boxing was at a halt. Ever since then, he has become addicted to the sport and even practiced four hours a day at one time. As the interview moved forward, Froch told Canelo that his son has also started playing golf. However, “He is not taking it that seriously,” the interviewer added. The 34-year-old replied, “He need to take it serious.” Canelo explained, “It’s exciting. It’s like addicted. Golf is addicted.”

Given how the 34-year-old has competed in the American Century Championship and made a hole-in-one at the Pebble Beach event, his addiction to the sport is pretty obvious.

So, leaving the sport he adores must be quite tough for Canelo Alvarez. However, proving himself as the best inside the ring takes priority at the moment. Furthermore, he is not the only one who has sacrificed something for this clash. Even Terence Crawford gave up something precious for this legacy clash.

Terence Crawford’s big sacrifice

On August 3, 2024, Terence Crawford defeated Israil Madrimov to become a four-division champion. Many fans and experts thought that the Omaha native would stay at 154 lbs to show his dominance. However, as the fight against Canelo will be at 168 lbs, the Omaha native had to make a choice. And for him, it wasn’t even hard, despite it being one of his biggest sacrifices.

On March 21, WBO president Gustavo Olivieri announced on ‘X’ that Bud has left the 154 lbs division. Not only that, he also relinquished his WBA and Interim WBO titles so that he could completely focus on his Mexican rival. “Therefore, his mandatory challenger status is moot,” Olivieri added to make the move official.

As an interim title holder, Crawford was the mandatory challenger to Sebastian Fundora’s WBO belt. Now that is not the case anymore. It is a big gamble as losing will not only rid him of viable competition at 168, but a move up means he won’t be able to compete in 154 lbs anytime soon. Despite this, Crawford remains unfazed, as he has the opportunity to cement his status as potentially the world’s top pound-for-pound boxer.

Who do you have between Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford? Let us know your thoughts down below.