In his 20-year-long career, no one has humbled Canelo Alvarez quite like Floyd Mayweather. At the time, the 23-year-old, young, and brash Cinnamon came in as the biggest threat to Mayweather’s throne. Yet, when the fight happened, it was a completely different affair. The 36-year-old completely outclassed Canelo, showing complete dominance in a fight termed as ‘Fight Of The Century.’

Fast forward 12 years, and the undisputed super middleweight champion is entering another ‘Fight of the Century.’ This time, against another undefeated icon in Terence Crawford. Recently, Canelo Alvarez raised the stakes of the fight even more, claiming that “Crawford is better than Mayweather.” As expected, the statement turned heads, including Team Mayweather’s, who gave a prompt reply to the Mexican.

Canelo Alvarez is manufacturing the hype

On Tuesday, former IBO super featherweight champion and Floyd Mayweather’s uncle, Jeff Mayweather, appeared on his channel, talking about the blockbuster clash. As the interviewer asked the trainer about Canelo Alvarez’s comparison, he swiftly replied, “Maybe he is. I mean, the one thing is this, you will always say that somebody that already beat you is better than the person that you’re fighting because you want to make yourself look like you’re going to beat somebody that’s better than everybody,” claiming that it is Alvarez’s way of manufacturing hype for the clash.

The interviewer probed further, mentioning the narrative of Canelo being a young fighter as compared to Mayweather in his prime. A claim that Mayweather Sr. immediately rejected, declaring, “You ain’t in your prime when you at 36. That’s not your prime. The prime is in your 20s.”

As the duo delved deeper into the Mexican’s statement about Crawford surpassing Floyd in defense and intelligence. A baffling comparison considering Money built his legendary career on masterfully evading and countering every punch thrown his way. “Anybody know better fighter, but defense is not better than Floyd,” Mayweather Sr. replied, refuting that the Nebraskan’s defensive skills rival those of the undefeated 50-0 legend.

However, when it comes to intelligence, he is ready to accept Bud’s greatness. “I mean, yeah, he’s intelligent too. He’s just as intelligent as Floyd,” he admitted, speaking with genuine candor.

So, that’s your decision. Floyd Mayweather’s defense is still the best, but Canelo Alvarez will be fighting someone who is just as smart as he is. Also, it looks like that’s what Terence Crawford needs to do to win. Using his great ring IQ to level the playing field.

Terence Crawford’s master plan to encounter the size difference

To the unfamiliar, the two-division undisputed champion is jumping up two weight classes with no rehydration clause to face Canelo Álvarez. On paper, the odds are completely against him, and that is the consensus. However, when it comes to Bud himself, he thinks otherwise. “I can’t never say somebody is bigger and more powerful, if I never been in the ring with them,” he said in a recent interview with Mail Sport Boxing.

Crawford added that he has faced lots of bigger and stronger boxers in his career. “But come fight time, you see a big difference in my size, my power, my strength, and so forth,” he added. The interview pointed out past examples of Manny Pacquiao defeating Oscar De La Hoya despite the size disparity, questioning how much speed, timing, and ring IQ will influence the outcome.

“Well, all that goes hand in hand,” Crawford replied, revealing that his master plan is dependent on those factors. “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. So, come fight night, we will be preparing, and we will see what would be the best way to tackle this,” he said, showcasing his superior ring IQ as compared to Canelo Alvarez, who failed to adapt against Dmitry Bivol in a higher weight class.

It’s clear that Terence Crawford isn’t bothered by the big size difference. He has beaten really tough odds in the past, and he will do it again on September 13th. Canelo Alvarez, on the other hand, hopes that his allegation that Crawford is better than Mayweather is not accurate. Who do you think is better at defense? Please tell us what you think in the comments.