The wait is nearly over for Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford.

Canelo and Crawford will clash in a matchup pitting two of this era’s best fighters on Saturday at Las Vegas' Allegiant Stadium, streamed worldwide on Netflix.

Alvarez (63-2-2, 39 KOs), of Guadalajara, Mexico, is a four-division titleholder and two-time undisputed champion. The 35-year-old enters this contest after unanimously outpointing William Scull on May 3.

Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs), of Omaha, Nebraska, is also a four-division beltholder and two-time undisputed ruler. The 37-year-old will make his super middleweight debut 13 months after beating Israil Madrimov on points last time out.

“Two of the greatest and most intelligent people in the sport. You don't get to where they are without really having a thoughtful mind and an ability to see yourself pretty clearly.

"I think Canelo is matchless in terms of his self-awareness and his understanding of how to approach boxing. If there's anybody else in the sport who's on Canelo's level in those two areas, it's Terence Crawford. … It's a fantastic matchup, and I truly can't wait to see it.

"I love Terence, but if you ask me to pick a favorite in that fight, there's no logic to picking somebody other than Canelo.”

“When this fight was announced, I thought this is a lot for Crawford to undertake moving this far up [in weight]. This happens in almost any sporting event. Once you get closer to it, sometimes people who initially were thought to be underdogs get more of the benefit of the doubt. As time has gone on, it's felt closer to me.

"This is one of those fights where if somebody just said to me, 'Okay, you just have to place a straight bet,' I would say, 'I don't know if I want to spend my money doing that.' I could see either man winning this. I lean slightly to Canelo because of the size and the undertaking for Crawford, but can't say I do it with a lot of conviction for a variety of reasons.”

"If you go down the list and ask me about tactical advantages, most of them are Crawford. What Canelo has is size, and as a result, physical strength and punching power. Canelo also has a great chin, skilled and with a larger skeleton than Crawford; no matter what they weigh, Canelo is the bigger guy."

“I don't have an official analysis or prediction, but I will say this: if Canelo fights the absolute correct fight that he can, the only correct fight that he can fight, he does have a chance, and I think he could be victorious.

”If he doesn't, Crawford has six ways he can win it, and my money will go with a man who has six ways to win it over the man who has one way of winning.”

"There are different kinds of power. With Canelo, it's like an unstoppable force. It wasn't really explosive, but man, it was heavy. He has heavy hands. I don't say this out of bias toward Canelo but logically, a great bigger fighter beats a great smaller fighter.

"In fact, I felt like Crawford should have first fought someone at 168 to really get the feel of the division instead of jumping straight to Canelo. But he's Crawford, and anything can happen. Crawford definitely has the skills, but he's at a big disadvantage size-wise, even though he almost even looks bigger than Canelo when they are standing next to each other.

"Weighing more and being a fighter at a natural weight are two different things, though. I think Canelo is going to win, but a loss is not going to tarnish Crawford's career. I'm not saying he can't win the fight, but I don't see Crawford winning.”

"Crawford is one of my favorite boxers. He’s able to win this fight, but there is a lot of small things, which we don't know how he will deal with. He needs to get used to the power and pressure for 168 because it's a big difference. It's not about only getting used to the power, it's also about being mentally ready because when people are not prepared and mentally they are afraid or scared, you become weak.

"Your body becomes weak. We saw how Canelo was fighting against other guys like [Jermell] Charlo, maybe Callum Smith; we saw the huge difference. I think it's not because of weight loss, it's about the mentality of the opponent."

“I did say that Crawford beats Canelo, and that was when he beat Errol Spence. I got ridiculed, mocked and laughed at. I believe he can beat Canelo. I genuinely do think he's a very special fighter, as is Canelo, but I just do think Canelo is maybe slightly on the slide, but he can still beat some of the world's most elite fighters. I fancy Crawford, genuinely think he can win on points."

“I think Canelo is going to beat him. I think the weight class is going to make a big difference. Crawford, going up in weight, he’s got to carry all of that muscle. I think Crawford has more tools, but the power difference is going to be the main factor."

“I think it's gonna be a good fight, tactical fight. I can see Canelo winning a unanimous decision just because of the weight difference - that's the biggest factor in this fight.”

“Just the analysis of looking at the fight, if Crawford is the way he is with speed and all that stuff, it's gonna be hard for Canelo. But if he starts sitting down and trying to trade with Canelo, then Canelo definitely has the advantage with power and inside fighting."

“I think it's perfect timing for both of these guys. I think that this is a fight that both guys have the ability to win. I think that Canelo has been in enough wars, and Terence hasn't. So I think health, the ability to be 100% on fight night is on Crawford's side. Canelo is going to come at 90 percent - that's where he's at now - but is he strong enough and prepared to do what it takes to break Terence down?

"You don't break him down physically; you do it mentally. It's a tall feat for both these guys, and I think this is a 50-50 fight that Terence will pull it off.”

“I’d like to see Crawford win. For some reason, something in my heart is telling me he could pull it off. As long as he can withstand the power that Canelo throws at him, I think he can.”

"One of my favourite fighters at the minute, this generation, is Canelo Alvarez. I’m looking forward to seeing him this weekend, always trying to learn and yeah, it’s a real 50-50 fight but I’m picking Canelo. It might be a biased opinion, but I think he’ll get it done in a great fight between them."

“I got Crawford. I like his boxing skills, and he is somebody who doesn't back down. I feel like he's gonna come to fight. I don't think it's going to be like when [Jermell] Charlo moved up. When Charlo moved up, Canelo just pretty much overpowered him. Crawford looks built.

"He looked like he took the time to put that weight on, I feel like he's going to be the smarter man and it's going to be a decision. I don't feel like it's gonna be a stoppage. If Crawford stays sharp, does what he's supposed to do, he’ll win a unanimous decision.”

“What a fight. It’s very hard to pick a winner. No one really knows Crawford's skill, competitiveness and ringcraft. You can say the same things about Canelo, but he has the size [advantage]. I saw Crawford in New York when Hamzah fought [Edgar] Berlanga, and he doesn’t look too small anymore. He's filled out a lot [and] looked quite big. It's a great fight. They’re equally matched in skill. When you see how skillful both are, the tricks they have and how they fight, it should be up there with the best fights we can remember.”

“Terence Crawford is a great fighter, but that’s why we have weight divisions. If he'd have taken three or four years like Canelo did, and built up not only his strength, but his bulk in the correct way, he would have a better chance, but to do it in these 14-15 months that he's done it in, it's gonna be difficult for him.

"I think that it's a tough fight in the first three or four rounds because of his speed, but once Canelo assimilates the movement, Crawford is going to be a lot slower because the weight. Once he does, I think it'll be a sparring session for Canelo, as it is, in most of his last four or five fights."

“On paper, Canelo should win. He's bigger and stronger, and if he lands good punches, I think Canelo could hurt Crawford. Crawford's first time in that division, and jumping two divisions, where he only had one fight at 154 and didn't look his best either. So there's a lot of questions, that's why a lot of people think Canelo is going to knock out Crawford. I'm probably one of the only ones who give Crawford a chance. I think Crawford could pull it off.

"Crawford is very talented. He's very fast, very smart in the ring. So I think in a perfect fight, he could pull up a decision. I wouldn't put my money on him winning because it's a very dangerous, risky fight, especially with Canelo being so strong. But his last few performances, he's looked slow, flat-footed, looking for one punch at a time and if that's the Canelo that fights Crawford, Bud could outbox, outsmart, land three-to-four punch combinations and move to win a decision."

“Canelo is a bigger guy. He's a more powerful guy, but if he's not throwing the bigger, more powerful punches in large quantities, then he's not as dangerous as you think he is. He's gotta throw them [punches] to have a chance to land them to be dangerous, to be the bigger guy and if he's throwing a lot less, he's not as dangerous as you make it in your head just because he's the bigger guy. That's how I break it down and look at it.

"There will be moments that each guy has to deal with, but at the end of the day, I like Crawford. Not just the physical attributes but the intangibles, mental traits, where he's got great timing, he's ice water in there. He doesn't get affected emotionally, got great eyes, laser-like with his eyes, timing and mentally doesn't believe he could be beaten."

"The version we have seen of Canelo these past few fights — steady paced, slower-footed and waiting to unload big single bombs. Against the ring generalship, good control of distance and boxing ability in Bud's southpaw stance, it gives me the belief that Crawford can beat him on points. I think he's clever enough to take away follow-up attacks if he gets hit and hurt by single shots and pick his way to a points win after surviving a few rocky moments. The fact he’s not giving height and reach away greatly enhances his chances."

"I think Canelo wins a decision. I think the size difference and Crawford moving up in weight so fast will be a significant factor in this fight."

"Crawford is coming up two weight classes, and he's coming off a one-year layoff, so that's a huge advantage for Canelo. If Canelo forces his will on him, he'll probably be 190 pounds inside the ring on fight night, I give him a great shot in the seventh, eighth, ninth and 10th rounds to knock out Crawford. If he doesn't do that, then Crawford is going to box his ears off. It might be another [Floyd] Mayweather versus Canelo. Remember when Mayweather was just schooling him and making him look silly? That can happen again this Saturday.

"So everything has to be perfect for Crawford. He has to use his footwork, speed, combinations, ring IQ, stay disciplined and Canelo, all he has to do is take Crawford's punches, but cannot be comfortable inside the ring, because if Canelo is comfortable, 12 rounds will go by fast. You take a look at the fighters that have made Canelo look bad. You have [Dmitry] Bivol, you have [Erislandy] Lara, you have [William Scull], you have Mayweather, who made him look silly. Canelo cannot handle boxers.

"That's the bottom line, because he's too heavy on his feet. But Crawford, his downfall can be his heart. His downfall can be his abilities to stand in there with you and trade punches. Because if you get caught by Canelo’s punch, you're going down. You're going to get knocked out. So this fight, I have it a close decision for Crawford, if it goes to decision, and a late knockout between the seventh and 10th round for Canelo."

“You’re talking about two pound-for-pound greats. I give Crawford every chance in the fight, I really do. I think size is going to be a problem. Is Canelo getting old? The one thing that's so admirable about Canelo Alvarez is that he keeps competing, and keeps having his training camps, and still got that fire in his belly.

"Is that still the case? Or are you telling yourself that? I think for the Crawford fight, he'll really get himself up for that. I just think the movement is going to cause him a lot of problems. If I'm honest, Crawford's got to fight a bit of a boring fight to beat him. It's a great, very intriguing fight."