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Terence Crawford Felt Comfortable At 168, Calls Himself Generation's Best
Ring Magazine
ARTICLE
Manouk Akopyan
Manouk Akopyan
RingMagazine.com
Terence Crawford Felt Comfortable At 168, Calls Himself Generation's Best
Terence Crawford’s confidence and aura have always been at a different level, and following his unanimous decision win against Canelo Alvarez, it might as well be on a separate stratosphere.

“Of course – there is no doubt [that I am the best fighter of this generation]. Yes definitely. No stipulations, no rehydration clause, no handicaps in any way. That was a big moment,” Crawford recently said on The Jim Rome Show.

“It was my night. I was ready for the moment.

“Skills pay the bills, and I believe in my skills and abilities. I knew I was capable of beating Canelo, and that's the reason I wanted the fight. I showed the world who Terence Crawford was.”

Crawford attributed his success against Alvarez to his mental preparation, as he was training and shaping his physical transformation into a super middleweight since February.


“I felt real comfortable [at 168 pounds],” said Crawford, who’s now a five-division champion and three-weight undisputed crownholder.

“I've sparred a lot of big guys in my lifetime. I knew that the size wasn't going to be too much of a factor. Of course, I've never been in the ring with a guy that size before. But at the same time I believed in myself and my abilities, that I was going to be alright, and I was.”

Crawford’s conviction and trust in his pound-for-pound abilities and skillset grew as the fight went on, and the conversation he was having with himself was whether or not he should be dialing up the pressure to further show Alvarez was not on his level.

“A lot of times,” said Crawford. “But my coach reminded me every round that 'you get close to him when you want, not when he wants to – keep boxing. You don't have to get into a slugfest.’”


During the historic performance, Crawford mostly controlled the fight by landing 115 of 534 total punches, while Alvarez landed 99 of 338, according to CompuBox.

Manouk Akopyan is The Ring’s lead writer. Follow him on X and Instagram: @ManoukAkopyan.
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