There can be no doubt that Terence “Bud” Crawford is one of boxing’s best punchers. The wording is key, as Crawford isn’t generally considered a heavy-handed fighter. Being a great puncher, however, is about more than natural knockout ability.

Like many great fighters before him, Crawford is dangerous in general and he rises to the occasion. Some of his signature wins ended in highlight-reel knockouts, if not with concussive single punches, from sizzling combinations. It simply remains to be seen what kind of puncher Crawford is at super middleweight, against the division’s ruler Canelo Álvarez on Sept. 13 in Las Vegas.

Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) has stopped 75 percent of opponents which is nothing to yawn at. Only four of his 19 title fights have gone the distance, and contrary to what logic would seem to dictate, he hasn’t lost much zip on his shots as he’s moved up in weight. He can also fight from either stance, and he can hurt opponents with either hand in either stance.

So what is it that allows Crawford to score knockouts? When it comes to punching technique, timing, sense of distance and punch selection, Crawford may just be the best in the sport today. Layer on a solid chin and his tendency toward being a truly venomous finisher and Crawford could likely do well in any era.

Crawford’s first world title came at lightweight, and he won multiple titles from junior welterweight to junior middleweight. The task of lugging any kind of punching power up through those divisions is nigh Herculean, and so few fighters had the kind of success even fighting from lightweight to junior middleweight that finding comparisons isn’t easy.

South African Dingaan Thobela won titles at lightweight before unexpectedly winning a belt at super middleweight 10 years later, though he was more of an accumulation puncher. A better example would be perhaps the greatest lightweight of all time, Roberto Durán, who unified the lightweight title in the 1970s and in 1989 knocked down the usually-durable Iran Barkley while winning a middleweight title.

Durán made 12 defenses of the WBA lightweight title, and 11 by KO. He was called “the greatest puncher pound-for-pound in boxing today” by the Associated Press in 1977. After he grew tired of tormenting the lightweight division, he famously skipped junior welterweight and repeatedly stung Sugar Ray Leonard while winning a title at welterweight in 1980.

Unlike Crawford, Durán fought through multiple comebacks and was all but dismissed even before his junior middleweight title shot against Davey Moore in 1983. That evening Durán brutalized Moore using methods too cruel for most horror films. Against Barkley, the Panamanian all-time great again made a fool of anyone betting against him.

Durán went punch-for-punch with the bigger Barkley for most of the fight, which was close, with several rounds that could have gone one way or another. But, as great fighters do, Durán rallied in the 11th and sent Barkley onto his back with a series of hard shots. When Barkley got up, Durán pursued him wearing a nightmarish scowl and went on to take the decision and the belt.

As telling as Durán’s performance was, his post-fight remarks explained his success.

"The first round was very important because I had to come back at him when he hit me," Durán said. "Barkley was paying for everything he threw. He had to take a punch to throw one, so I put more power into my punches."

Part of it was Durán’s natural demeanor as a fighter, which was to immediately avenge any punch that landed on him. Forget “No Más,” that was but one of Durán’s 119 pro fights. At his best, he offered no mercy.

Durán was also heavier-handed than Crawford. Durán was sending top contenders to the hospital and changing careers with ruthless efficiency at lightweight, whereas Crawford is afforded no such luxury. But Durán similarly used great punching technique, split-second timing, an uncanny sense of distance and a variety of punches to maximize his power.

Álvarez (63-2-2, 39 KOs) is not an apples-to-apples comparison with Barkley. Álvarez found a way to carry his own power up several divisions and is one of the sport’s elite fighters, while Barkley was acknowledged as a limited, albeit brave and tough champion at the time.

There are indeed, however, aspects of Durán’s win over Barkley that could help Crawford against Álvarez. Like immediately retaliating and not allowing Álvarez to act like a bully, both of which would aid in the psychological warfare, but also keep Crawford on the front foot where he could actually land his power. And like Durán, the power doesn’t have to be serious enough to knock out Álvarez, it only has to sting enough to keep the Mexican star from wading in recklessly. Some maliciousness wouldn’t hurt his cause, either.

On The Ring’s definitive 2003 list of “The 100 Greatest Punchers of All-Time,” Durán clocked in at 28. Many on the list were understandably heavyweight fighters with incredible power, but Durán was one of 11 fighters in the top 30 who captured world titles in multiple divisions and clearly carried power upwards.

Crawford’s own history suggests he has a plan and can act on it for 12 rounds. There are, of course, scenarios where Crawford uses his superior speed, movement and his advantages in height and reach to conduct a veritable symphony en route to a decision win. Álvarez tends to take breaks for rounds at a time, after all, and Crawford is sharp.

A win is a win, and any sort of victory would rocket Crawford to the top of pound-for-pound lists and shatter beliefs about his place in this era. But an outcome that sees Crawford demonstrating respectable power, like getting a knockdown or better, would lead “Bud” to serious glory.