The boxing world is gearing up for an epic showdown between Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford. The fight, which pits the undisputed super middleweight champion against a boxer moving up two weight classes, has sparked intense debate. Much of the conversation revolves around the size difference between the two fighters, so there have been all kinds of opinions in the preview.
UFC Hall of Famer Chael Sonnen, for example, has expressed skepticism about the importance of the weight difference. In a recent interview on the Good Guy/Bad Guy podcast, Sonnen argued that boxing history is full of examples where the smaller fighter has prevailed.
There may be a big surprise
Sonnen has a clear stance on the subject. In the interview, he stated: “I don’t buy into all this that there’s a weight difference. I really don’t… This old idea about size and its usefulness, historically, is just not true. Muhammad Ali weighed 198 pounds at his best. Mike Tyson never had a reach or weight advantage over a single opponent.”
In addition, Sonnen added that “Canelo is in a situation where there really is no room for error… He, at 21 years old, was given an opportunity… he was in the ring with a 35-year-old Floyd Mayweather, and he was dismantled… People decided they love him… Someone in every era is chosen to be the face of boxing”.
Terence Crawford’s confidence
Crawford echoed a similar sentiment in a conversation with Ring Magazine’s Max Kellerman. The two-division undisputed champion rejected the idea that his size is a disadvantage
Crawford listed a number of smaller boxers who moved up in weight and were successful, including the likes of Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao and Canelo Alvarez himself. “They don’t know what they’re talking about. When you look at the history of boxing, more little men moved up in weight to beat the bigger man... I can name boxers for days who were smaller, who moved up in weight, consistently and were successful,” he said.
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