Terence Crawford and Saul “Canelo” Alvarez’s bid to be the best fighter of this era goes through each other.

The two longtime pound-for-pound greats will clash for Canelo’s undisputed super middleweight titles on Sept. 13 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Netflix. Entering their high-stakes clash, Canelo and Crawford have both twice become undisputed champions in their careers and won world titles across four divisions.

Canelo (63-2-2, 39 KOs) has won world titles across junior middleweight, middleweight, super middleweight and light heavyweight. Crawford's run meanwhile began at lightweight and he's since captured titles at junior welterweight, welter and junior middleweight.

Canelo, 35, has claimed the undisputed 168-pound titles twice while Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) won all four belts at junior welterweight and more recently welterweight.

Canelo-Crawford long felt like a pipe dream given their weight disparity. Despite being as many as four weight classes apart, Crawford has faced opponents of similar stature and style, particularly during his welterweight run. Here's a look at how he fared against them.

Despite being the one moving up in weight, Crawford, 37, will have a height and reach advantage against Canelo. Crawford stands at 5-foot-8 with a 74-inch reach, while Canelo is half-an-inch shorter with a 3.5 inch reach disadvantage.

Physically, former world champions Israil Madrimov and Shawn Porter most closely resemble Canelo. They also gave Crawford two of his toughest fights.

Madrimov (10-2-1, 7 KOs) stands 5-foot-8-and-a-half with a 68.5 inch reach, while Porter (31-4-1, 17 KOs) is an inch shorter with an inch advantage in reach.

Crawford's 12-round unanimous decision win over Madrimov 12 months ago saw him win the WBA junior middleweight title, while the Omaha native was the only man to beat now-retired Porter inside the distance with a 10th-round stoppage in their November 2021 clash.

Stylistically, Madrimov most closely resembles Canelo, given his patience and willingness to fight at a slower pace. He also wasn't overaggressive against Crawford, who is a prolific counterpuncher. That said, he's much more awkward and athletic with an ability to dart in-and-out of range as feints also play a prominent role in his offense compared to Canelo.

Porter's athleticism and ability to punch through range allowed him to find sustained success until later in their title fight, when Crawford found another gear.

Crawford's ability to manage range and limit the exchanges will be key to his efforts to pull off the upset.

Madrimov and Porter had some of their best moments when they were punching with him. If Crawford finds himself exchanging with Canelo, that could be a recipe for disaster given their power discrepancy.

Crawford found great success timing Madrimov and Porter with his left uppercut in close quarters and from the outside. That punch helped Crawford turn the tide against Porter, dropping him twice in the 10th round before securing another stoppage victory.

When Canelo closes the gap and targets his body, Crawford's left uppercut from the southpaw stance will be essential to trying to deter the reigning undisputed super middleweight champion. From there, he'll likely be better off trying to pick off Canelo and counter him from the outside.

Crawford has the speed and skill to get the job done, having shown he can take his game to another level when fights still hang in the balance late - as they did with Madrimov and Porter. Canelo is a different beast though and holding him off will likely be more difficult given their size discrepancy.

However, Crawford has proven time and again that he’ll be at his best when it’s required. If it comes down to the wire against Canelo, we could see him reach a level we’ve never seen before as he seeks a career-defining win to become a five-division titleholder and the undisputed champion in a third division.