When Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford meet today for the undisputed super-middleweight crown, it won’t just be the fans who are divided. More than 50 figures from across the boxing industry have weighed in, and the result is as close as the bout itself promises to be.
Many who sided with Alvarez pointed to his natural size and proven strength at higher weights. Trainer Adam Booth emphasized that “size matters,” while fighters like Mark Dickinson and commentators such as Ben Damon leaned toward Canelo winning on points, citing his physicality and ring IQ. For others, like Shane McGuigan and Johnny Nelson, the expectation is that Alvarez could even wear Crawford down for a late stoppage.
Watch Canelo vs. Crawford final face-off and weigh-in: Watch
On the other side, Crawford drew support for his adaptability, movement, and sheer skill. Darren Barker predicted that he would set a pace Canelo couldn’t match, while Andrew Moloney highlighted Alvarez’s declining work rate as a factor Crawford could exploit. Duke McKenzie went further, saying he “can’t see how Crawford can lose,” while Chris Billam-Smith and Denzel Bentley compared his style to Mayweather’s, believing it could prove decisive.
A handful remained undecided. Andy Lee admitted he couldn’t call it, while Jason Cunningham leaned toward a draw. For many, the question boiled down to whether Crawford can carry his brilliance into the super-middleweight ranks, or whether Alvarez’s size advantage will simply be too much.
The final score: 28 picks for Canelo, 25 for Crawford, and 3 undecided. If the predictions prove anything, it’s that boxing’s biggest fight of the year is also its toughest to call.
Read more about Canelo-Crawford bout.
Image Credit: BBC