The boxing industry is torn to pick a winner of the superfight featuring
Canelo Alvarez and
Terence Crawford.
The undisputed super middleweight champion Alvarez (63-2-2, 39 KOs) is set to defend his titles against Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) on Sept. 13 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Netflix.
While many anticipate that Alvarez’s power will prevail, the other side of the coin demonstrates that the crafty Crawford has all of the skills to outbox his bigger counterpart to pull off the upset.
“It's hard to give a prediction for the fight,” WBC welterweight champion
Mario Barrios told
The Ring. “I'm a big fan of Canelo, but Crawford is a pound-for-pound great for a reason. His skillset is different. It's the kind of fight where they can fight 50 times, and it can go either way every time. As a boxer and as a boxing fan, I’m very excited for this fight.
"Styles make fights, and then you have to factor in the weight difference. There are so many factors, and it's hard to lean on either side. I’m not favoring either fighter. I have a lot of respect and admiration for both of them.”
Oddsmakers don't believe the bout will be a one-sided affair. DraftKings has Alvarez listed as a minus-185 betting favorite and Crawford as a plus-145 betting underdog. The over/under on the number of rounds the fight is supposed to last is set to 10.5.
If Crawford wins, he’ll become a three-division undisputed champion, and overall, a five-division beltholder. Bud is currently the 154-pound WBA titleholder.
The four-division champion Alvarez is unbeaten in 11 fights as a super middleweight.
Manouk Akopyan is The Ring’s lead writer. Follow him on X and Instagram: @ManoukAkopyan.