Since 1940, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s ‘Tom and Jerry‘ has been entertaining millions of fans across the globe. The theme, by and large, stayed the same: Tom, the cat, would chase around the mouse, Jerry. Now who could have imagined the animated series’ simple plotline would seep into a boxing ring? But that’s what happened when last month, on May 3, Canelo Alvarez fought the Cuban-born fighter William Scull. Avoiding direct clash, Scull ran circles around the ring. And left with no choice, Canelo had to give him a hard chase. But unlike the widely loved cartoon, the Riyadh bout left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth.

The match produced the least number of punches thrown in a 12-round fight. As criticisms mounted, Turki Alalshikh issued a stern warning: “From this point on, I don’t want to see any more Tom and Jerry-type boxing matches where one fighter is running around the ring and the other is chasing him.” And it looks like his message is having an impact. The Saudi promoter’s caution clearly resonated when a bunch of reporters caught up with Canelo. The Mexican superstar and Terence Crawford kicked off the media tour of their September 13 showdown in Riyadh some some time ago.

So one of the reporters asked Canelo, “I want to speak to you about some of Turki’s comments. He said he doesn’t want Tom and Jerry people running away in the ring. What did you make of that?” The super middleweight replied that he completely agrees with the statement.

To the Mexican icon, it’s an open-and-shut case. “People want to see a good fight…because, you know, people come and spend money to see a great fight, and if the other fighter comes and runs all night and doesn’t make a good fight, it’s deceptive,” he added.

When asked if Turki Alalshikh’s warning followed the William Scull clash, Canelo reflected that he and the Riyadh Season head had had a detailed discussion over the issue. “It’s very sad, but you know it is what it is,” replied the Mexican superstar. Then Crawford’s climbing up two weight classes. One of the reporters probed if Canelo expected his opponent to mimic William Scull. “I hope not because we expect a great fight—the fight of the century, right?” Canelo responded.

To set the record straight, as far as the ‘Tom and Jerry’ question goes, Crawford wasn’t spared either.

Terence Crawford on the Canelo fight: I’m not backing down

At the presser, the master of the ceremony broached the topic: “You heard, uh, his excellency saying no more Tom and Jerry, no more running, but you’re moving up two weight classes. It’s not going to be smart for you to stand there and hammer it out with this guy. So how do you kind of balance that—not running but being elusive and fighting Canelo?”

So Crawford replied he’ll fight his way, not how others want him to. He expressed confidence in his experience and fight IQ. Outside opinion, be it from officials or fans, will not dictate how he approaches a match. Crawford took the ‘Tom and Jerry’ comment head-on. Insisting that he won’t avoid engagement, he stressed, “I won’t be running, you know. I could tell you that, but I will be, you know, um, doing a lot of touching.”

So both Canelo and Crawford have clarified their stands. Moreover, it’s a plain joke to compare Crawford with Skull. His sheer technical mastery won’t allow him to play the touch-and-go game with Canelo. Come September, and fans are definitely going to witness a war.

What about you? How do you expect the Canelo vs. Crawford fight to unfold?