Evander Holyfield has shared his thoughts on the upcoming ‘super-fight’ between Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford.
The modern greats are set to face each other for the undisputed super-middleweight championship on Saturday September 13 at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Crawford will make his debut at 168lbs when he clashes with the Mexican icon in just under two months, having campaigned at welterweight for the majority of his career before making a brief move up to super-welterweight last August.
Canelo has been a dominant force up at super-middleweight since he made the jump from 160lbs back in 2018, defeating the likes of Callum Smith, Jermell Charlo and Gennady Golovkin to name a few.
One man who knows a thing or two about being successful after stepping up in weight is boxing legend Evander Holyfield, after becoming undisputed in the cruiserweight division before then heading up to heavyweight and repeating the feat there.
In an interview with Fight Hub TV, Holyfield has spoken out ahead of Canelo’s highly anticipated showdown with ‘Bud’, where he gives his backing to the Mexican icon.
“It’s gonna be hard to beat Canelo. He’s real basic but a good fighter.”
Canelo began his second reign as undisputed world champion at 168lbs on May 3, defeating Cuba’s former IBF super-middleweight champion William Scull via unanimous decision in Riyadh, becoming the first fighter in boxing history to achieve this twice.
Crawford will have his sights set on writing his own name into the boxing history books when he faces Canelo however, as the 37-year-old from Omaha could become the first male fighter to capture an undisputed championship in three weight classes should he be victorious.
He became the undisputed super-lightweight champion with a victory over Julius Indingo back in 2017. ‘Bud’ would go on to accomplish this feat at welterweight six years later when he stopped Errol Spence Jr in the ninth round of their Las Vegas showdown in July 2023.