Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford are set to face off in a blockbuster bout on Saturday, September 13. The fight will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, with Canelo's undisputed super-middleweight championship on the line.
Crawford, the current WBA super-welterweight champion, is moving up two weight classes for this challenge. He earned his 154-pound title last August in Los Angeles when he dethroned Israil Madrimov. Now, he's aiming even higher by taking on Canelo at 168 pounds.
If Crawford manages to defeat Canelo, he'll make history. He could become the first male fighter ever to win an undisputed championship in three different weight divisions.
But the task ahead is daunting. Amir Khan, the only boxer who has shared the ring with both fighters, recently spoke about the dangers Crawford faces. In an interview with Fastest Payout Online Casinos, Khan said:
"It's a very dangerous fight for Crawford, you're only one punch away from getting hurt, Canelo's power is always going to be there. Crawford has earned good money, he has a beautiful family, why risk it? You're only one punch away from getting hurt, and he doesn't really need the money or the fame. He's pound for pound the best fighter in the world."
Khan's warning comes from personal experience. He faced Canelo in 2016 and the effects of that fight stayed with him long after:
"I was never the same fighter again facing Canelo. You can get knocked down, fine, you can get back up again, but the knockout Canelo gave me, it probably took five years off my life. I was at the peak of my career and never came back as the same fighter again. I wasn't gun shy or scared, but that one shot, it wasn't good for the body or the mind. And it changed my opponent's strategy for fighting me, they all started to try to land that one big shot."
Despite these warnings, Crawford has shown he's ready for the challenge. He's already proven himself as a multi-weight world champion, having held titles at lightweight and welterweight before his recent success at super-welterweight.
The boxing world will be watching closely as these two pound-for-pound stars collide. Will Crawford's skills allow him to overcome Canelo's power and size advantage? Or will Canelo add another big name to his impressive list of victories? We'll find out on September 13 in Las Vegas.