Canelo vs. Crawford: Who has fought the bigger battles?

Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez (63-2-2, 39 KOs) and Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) are undoubtedly the protagonists of this weekend’s fight of the year. ‘Once in a lifetime’ has been the name given to this fight that will take place at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, the venue where the NFL’s Riders team plays.

Canelo is currently the undisputed super middleweight champion, the category in which this battle is being fought, and Crawford has been the super lightweight and welterweight champion. There is constant talk about the difficulties Bud will have at this weight, but it is also important to review some important facts such as the frequency with which both fighters fight and who their opponents have been.

Since 2015, the American has stepped into the ring 16 times and the Mexican 21. Since 2019, Crawford has boxed a total of 41 rounds, while Canelo has been in the ring for 118 rounds. In the last two years, there have only been 12 rounds for ‘Bud’ and 48 for Alvarez. The Omaha native has been in 19 world title fights in his career and the Jalisco native in 26

Canelo has fought his main battles against a multitude of rivals who were established stars when they faced him and were at the peak of their careers, such as Shane Mosley, Floyd Mayweather, Erislandy Lara, Miguel Cotto, Amir Khan, Gennadiy Golovkin (x3), Daniel Jacobs, Callum Smith, Billy Joe Saunders, Caleb Plant and Dmitry Bivol. Kovalev could also be included, as he was very dangerous despite being in the final stretch of his career.

For his part, ‘Bud’ Crawford does not have as long a list as the Mexican: Yuriorkis Gamboa, Viktor Postol, Jeff Horn, Amir Khan, Shawn Porter and Errol Spence Jr have been his most notable opponents. With Khan and Porter on the way out, and Spence far from being the one who promised after his serious traffic accident and vision problems. Beyond Crawford’s undoubted category, the best experiences seem to be on the side of the super middleweight champion. Bud has never faced an epoch-making fighter like Mayweather or Golovkin, for example.

Crawford’s undefeated world title rivals

• Yuriorkis Gamboa (Crawford by TKO in the 9th round)
• Viktor Postol (Crawford by unanimous decision)
• Julius Indongo (Crawford by KO in 3rd round)
• Jeff Horn (Crawford by TKO in the 9th round)
• Jose Benavidez Jr (Crawford by 12th-round TKO)
• Egidijus Kavaliauskas (Crawford by TKO in the 9th round)
• Errol Spence Jr (Crawford by TKO in the 9th round)
• Israil Madrimov (Crawford by unanimous decision)

Canelo’s undefeated world title rivals

• Austin Trout (Canelo by unanimous decision)
• Floyd Mayweather (Mayweather by majority decision)
• Liam Smith (Canelo by KO 9th round)
• Gennady Golovkin 1 (split decision draw)
• Gennady Golovkin 2 (Canelo by majority decision)
• Callum Smith (Canelo by unanimous decision)
• Billy Joe Saunders (Canelo by retirement 8th round)
• Caleb Plant (Canelo by TKO in the 11th round)
• Dmitry Bivol (Bivol by unanimous decision)
• Jaime Munguia (Canelo by unanimous decision)
• Edgar Berlanga (Canelo by unanimous decision)
• William Scull (Canelo by unanimous decision)