Few fighters, if any, have as many ways to solve a puzzle as Terence Crawford.

Crawford, a four-division titleholder and two-time undisputed champion, can do it all, from outboxing opponents to fighting on the front foot and being able to do both out of orthodox and southpaw stances. However, in moving up two weight classes to face Canelo Alvarez for his undisputed super middleweight title on Saturday at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Netflix, Crawford faces his most formidable challenge to date.

Crawford will need every bit of his skillset if he’s to emerge victorious and cement himself as the best fighter of this era. Among the key question marks heading into their high-stakes clash is which stance Crawford will fight out of. Of late, Crawford has fought exclusively out of the southpaw stance. Before then, he would start most of his fights orthodox before switching to southpaw early in the fight and settling into the left-handed stance.

Conventional wisdom would point toward Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) fighting as a southpaw, and that’s likely his best bet if he’s going to pull off the upset.

Fighting out of a southpaw stance has its natural advantages. Orthodox fighters typically aren’t as familiar with facing a left-handed fighter, whereas southpaws normally have countless rounds in training and in the ring against right-handed fighters. A fight between orthodox and southpaw fighters almost always includes a battle for lead hand and foot positioning, as these extremities are in such close proximity.

Alvarez has had some difficulty with elite southpaws in his career. Austin Trout and Erislandy Lara gave Alvarez (63-2-2, 39 KOs) stiff tests early in his career, with some, including judge Jerry Roth, believing Lara did enough to earn a victory. Alvarez defeated Trout by unanimous decision and Lara by split decision.

Billy Joe Saunders also held his own before a brutal right uppercut from Alvarez broke his right orbital bone, forcing his corner to stop the fight after the eighth round.

Alvarez is 6-0, with three knockouts, against southpaws over the last 15 years. That doesn’t mean Crawford can’t find success by adopting some of the tactics Trout, Lara, and Saunders' used in their fights with Alvarez.

The ability to control range, make Alvarez pay when he tried to close the gap and push him back was where Trout, Lara and Saunders found most of their success. Crawford is one of the best in boxing when it comes to managing range and countering fighters on the way in.

The Omaha, Nebraska native turned the fight in his favor against Shawn Porter in the 10th round, when he dropped him with a left uppercut as he tried to leap into range. After dropping Porter once more later in the round, Crawford became the first and only man to stop the former welterweight champion in November 2021.

Crawford holds a similar height and reach advantage over Alvarez as he had against Porter, although the Mexican superstar is typically less reckless when it comes to trying to get on the inside. Crawford stands at 5-foot-8 and boasts a 74-inch reach, while Alvarez is 5-foot-7½ with 70½-inch reach. Porter is 5-foot-7 with a 69½-inch reach.

Crawford’s clear reach advantage only adds to the case for why he should fight as a southpaw. The nearly four-inch edge will be essential to Crawford being able to get in and out of range without getting caught.

Fighting as a southpaw gives Crawford the edge when moving to his right, and it’ll also help with his ability to keep Alvarez turning and unable to set his feet to throw. If Crawford can win that battle of foot positioning and maintain his advantage in footwork and foot speed, it’ll help take away Alvarez’s left hook, which is one of, if not his best offensive weapon.

It’s an uphill climb for Crawford, regardless of which stance he opts to fight out of. Not only does he likely need to fight a perfect fight for 12 rounds, he also likely needs to win definitively if he’s going to pull off the upset on the scorecards.

Ultimately, the natural advantages that come with being a southpaw, combined with the physical advantages Crawford has in speed and skill, would likely be best deployed out of the southpaw stance as he looks to earn the third undisputed championship of his career.