Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford are set to face off in Las Vegas on September 13. The match-up has got fight fans talking, and one boxer who's shared the ring with Canelo is giving his take.
Vergil Ortiz Jr., the undefeated WBC interim super welterweight champion, once trained under Eddy Reynoso and got to spar with Canelo. He's now speaking up about what he learned from those sessions.
Ortiz Jr. says Canelo hits hard, even when he's holding back in sparring. But what really stood out was Canelo's ability to take a punch.
"I hit him as hard as I could... and his head barely moved."
That kind of toughness has served Canelo well. He's the undisputed champion and has beaten much larger boxers throughout his career.
Crawford's coming up two weight divisions for this fight. He's known for his speed, smarts in the ring, and ability to switch between orthodox and southpaw stances. He's after a historic third undisputed championship.
Boxing legend Mike Tyson thinks Crawford's taking a big risk. He said:
"He got to do what he wants to do, but I don't think it's a good idea."
Tyson believes Crawford doesn't need to take this chance.
The fight could go either way. Canelo's power and stamina will be tough to deal with. But Crawford's speed and ring smarts might just be enough to throw Canelo off his game.
