Canelo vs Crawford: 168-pound title fight in Las Vegas

Canelo Alvarez will defend his undisputed super middleweight crown against Terence Crawford on September 13 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, with Crawford making his 168-pound debut after building a dominant résumé at welterweight and junior welterweight. The clash will headline a Netflix livestreamed card, and the undercard is expected to showcase several rising talents as the boxing world eyes a potential legacy-defining night.

The fight instantly raises questions about whether Crawford’s move up two divisions can be mastered quickly enough to derail one of the sport’s most proven champions. Crawford has long been regarded as one of the finest boxers of his era, but moving from welterweight to super middleweight presents a host of physical and technical challenges. An objective view from former champion Sergey Kovalev notes the difficulty: while Crawford is highly skilled and, in some circles, the sport’s best pound-for-pound fighter, the weight jump could blunt his speed and mobility, making for a wary weighing of his chances against a hard-punching, well-rounded Canelo. The assessment centers on whether the extra mass can be managed without compromising the sharpness...