There have been plenty of boxing clashes over the years which have gone down in history.
From the two all-time classics between Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali in the 1970s to Floyd Mayweather against Manny Pacquiao in 2015, the nature of the sport has often brought together two greats against one another.
And the latest in the long line of big-name boxers to come to blows will be Canelo Álvarez and Terence Crawford who fight against one another on Saturday.
Two of the most accomplished boxers in the modern era, Álvarez will have his undisputed champion status on the line while Crawford’s undefeated record will be at stake when they step in the ring together at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada.
And speaking to CNN Sports ahead of the fight – which will be streamed globally on Netflix, with the main event starting at 9 p.m. ET – both fighters recognize the significance of their encounter.
“It’s up there with all of them,” Crawford told CNN when asked how the fight compares to the other legendary encounters. “It’s up there with all of those great fights. … All the great fights in the history, this fight is up there with all of them.”
Álvarez expressed a similar sentiment, agreeing when asked about his publicist’s opinion that the bout with Crawford is bigger than Mayweather vs. Pacquiao.
“I think so. People are gonna watch it more, right? And I think it’s bigger than that,” Álvarez told CNN en Español. “For everything is around, it’s on Netflix, (everything) you see, this is bigger than any fight, so I think so too.”
As well as being two of the elder statesmen in boxing at the moment, 35-year-old Álvarez and 37-year-old Crawford are still two of the best.
Álvarez has a record of 63 wins (including 39 by way of knockout), two losses and two draws and is the current unified super middleweight world champion. In the other corner, Crawford has an undefeated 41-0 record, including 31 knockouts, and has held world championship belts in four different weight classes.
Both are entering the fight at the very top of their games, but it is Crawford who has had to make the bigger adjustment to set up the blockbuster matchup.
Saturday’s clash will be a super middleweight fight, with Álvarez’s undisputed champion status on the line. Crawford’s last fight was as a light middleweight, meaning the American will be stepping up two weight classes to fight the Mexican.
However, he says he’s been preparing no differently than he would for any other fight.
“Just be myself, that’s it. I don’t gotta put myself through nothing crazy,” Crawford explained. “Go in there, be myself and do what Terence Crawford do best and that’s be him.”
Ahead of his 42nd – and arguably the biggest – fight of his career, Crawford says he’s happy to have reached the heights he’s hit.
“I’m just proud that I’m still here at 37, at the top of the game and to be able to put my foot and seeing it in with all the greats that have come before me,” he said.
“I feel great and I feel accomplished in a fight. When you train so hard for a fighter and are victorious, you feel like: ‘Ah, I did it.’ That’s how I’m going to feel come Saturday.”
Conversely, Álvarez will be the established boxer in this weight class and will be defending his undisputed super middleweight champion status for the fifth time.
The Mexican superstar has extra motivation heading into the bout with Crawford following the birth of his daughter, Eva Victoria, in August.
And he anticipates Saturday’s clash to be a “good fight.”
“I think, at the beginning of the fight, he’s going to be like a student. And then I think I’m going to put everything there together,” he explained. “I’m going to take every advantage I have and it’s not just that way. Because I’m a great fighter too.
Álvarez admitted to CNN that he’s probably got two more years of boxing left in him before he starts to consider retirement.
And facing arguably the toughest opponent of his career, he’s as confident as ever.
“I’m just going to do my job. No matter if it’s knockout or decision, I’m gonna get there to win the fight, no matter what way. Because that’s why you have 12 rounds, to show them who’s the best.”
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