After jumping two weight divisions and racking up ten straight knockouts before last year’s win over Israil Madrimov, Terence Crawford is riding high heading into the biggest fight of his career. A victory over Canelo Alvarez would make him the first fighter in the modern four-belt era to become undisputed in three separate weight classes, an unprecedented feat he’s ready to achieve at any cost. And when it comes to concerns about Canelo’s size advantage? Crawford simply doesn’t care.

Anyway, this week has been busy and tense for Crawford, especially after he and Canelo Alvarez exchanged shoves during their fiery press conference. But the real heat will be on display come September 13, when the two square off in their $200 million mega-fight at Allegiant Stadium, set to stream live on Netflix. Yet beyond the boxing spotlight, Terence Crawford recently found himself at the center of a surprising accusation. And no, it’s not about his next opponent. So come, let’s take a look at what sparked it.

At the New York press conference for his upcoming bout with Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, Terence Crawford took a break from the boxing talk to engage in a light-hearted basketball challenge with former NFL player Ryan Clark. Just a few hours ago, Terence Crawford took to Instagram and shared a post with a caption that read, “Better luck next time @realrclark maybe football idk bro 😂.” The spontaneous shootout began when Crawford asked Clark if he thought he could beat him, to which Clark confidently responded “Yes,” after all, it was basketball. Without any warm-up, the two began firing shots, and it quickly became clear who had the edge.

Terence Crawford dominated the friendly match, landing most of his shots while Clark struggled to find his rhythm. At one point, Crawford, clearly enjoying himself, shouted, “You s-ck!” as he continued sinking shots. The final tally saw Crawford winning 6-3 against Clark. When Clark blamed his poor performance on not warming up, Crawford laughed it off, reminding him he hadn’t warmed up either. Ultimately, the short clip of their face-off quickly went viral, drawing plenty of online attention.

Clark later reacted on social media, posting, “Wow!! This what we doing?” followed by, “I was set up!!” It was a wholesome and entertaining exchange that showed Terence Crawford’s playful side. Still, beyond the laughs, Crawford reminded everyone that he’s just as serious about winning inside the ring as he even hinted at having a clear game plan for his next fight.

Terence Crawford unveils bold strategy to neutralize Canelo’s size and power

Just yesterday, Mail Sport Boxing released a new interview with Terence Crawford following his intense press conference with Canelo Alvarez. During the sit-down, the reporter brought up a key talking point: “You said about the fact that people are overthinking, the size and the power of Canelo. Do you think that that’s oversimplifying him as a fighter?” Calm and composed, Bud Crawford responded, “We don’t know yet, until we fight.”

Crawford elaborated, “I can’t never say somebody is bigger and more powerful, if I never been in the ring with them. A lot of people that I fought, riders and the fans may have thought these fighters were stronger, bigger, and punch harder. But come fight time, you see a big difference in my size, my power, my strength, and so forth. So I can’t never say how big, how strong, how hard a fighter is until I fight him.”

The reporter then referenced historic examples like the smaller Manny Pacquiao’s December 2008 win over the three pounds bigger Oscar De La Hoya and asked how much attributes like speed, timing, and ring IQ would matter. Terence Crawford didn’t hesitate: “Well, all that goes hand in hand.” But he then went on to outline his strategy, saying, “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,” he said. “So, come fight night, we will be preparing, and we will see what would be the best way to tackle this.” Whether or not Bud Crawford can execute his master plan remains to be seen, but his confidence is unwavering. So what are your thought on his strategy?