Terence Crawford is bored with the same preview of his blockbuster clash with Canelo Alvarez.
The 37-year-old, who takes on the Mexican in Las Vegas on Saturday in a legacy fight for 168lb supremacy, appeared on Shannon Sharpe‘s Nightcap podcast ahead of his undisputed super-middleweight bout, where he was once again asked about dealing with Alvarez’s power.
Most boxing fans will be fully aware that Alvarez’s biggest strength is his power.
His punching power has traveled with him across all the weight classes he has fought in, from 154 pounds to 175 pounds.
Many will remember his brutal knockout of light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev in 2019.
Alvarez’s punching power is unquestionable, and while he hasn’t had a KO in his last six fights, he has knocked down four of his last five opponents.
Crawford not concerned with Alvarez’s power
When Sharpe quizzed Crawford on whether he would be able to handle the punching power that Alvarez would bring, the American dismissed the question in style.
“One thing that is evident is that you are going to get hit in a boxing match,” Crawford told Sharpe.
“All the questions will be answered come Saturday, they don’t got to speculate and guess and hope, ‘Oh man, he can’t take the punch.’ How do you know I can’t take the punch?
“Canelo ain’t never hit me, and I said I can’t take the punch.
“So I just laugh at people, that’s, you know, praying and hoping that it goes the way they want.
“On Saturday, everything will be shown.”
Crawford’s confidence is justified
Crawford is a boxer blessed with abilities most fighters could only dream of.
He is a two-division undisputed and four-division world champion who is undefeated.
His boxing IQ has seen him become one of the best boxers of his generation and has produced a record that stands at 41 wins, 31 by KO and no losses.
His two-weight-class jump is ambitious even by his standards, as he challenges Canelo at 168 pounds.
But as he approaches the end of his career, by taking this fight, it’s clear he wants to write boxing history and forge an almost unmatchable legacy.
“I just want to win. [Canelo] can be the face of boxing. Just give me everything in the background that comes with it,” he told reporters ahead of the fight.
This is a fight Crawford has been desperate for
Crawford’s defiant remarks leading up to this bout come as no surprise when considering what he had to do to secure Alvarez as his opponent.
It was 13 months ago, after his win over Israil Madrimov, that he lobbied the head of the General Entertainment Authority, Turki Alalshikh, to bring Alvarez in front of him.
And when Alalshikh remarked, “But the weight?” Crawford dismissed those concerns.
“That’s the only fight I want,” he said.
And now, 13 months later, Alvarez and Crawford will fight at the 65k-capacity Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas in one of boxing’s most highly anticipated clashes.
talkSPORT’s Spencer Oliver described it as ‘once in a lifetime’ in his expert preview of the mega-fight.
Crawford, alongside Alvarez, was named this week in talkSPORT’s top 10 greatest boxers of the 21st century, with Joe Calzaghe, Oleksandr Usyk, and Floyd Mayweather all in the top five.