Down To Earth
SOME OF THE MOST TALENTED BOXERS OF PAST ERAS WERE SERVED HUMBLING REALITY CHECKS WHEN THEY CHALLENGED THE CHAMPIONS OF HEAVIER WEIGHT CLASSES By Ruth Raper
B oxing will witness another chapter in the story of David versus Goliath as Terence “Bud” Crawford, the audacious challenger from the American Midwest, faces superstar Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. This fight represents more than just a clash between two of boxing’s elite – it embodies the question that has captivated fight fans for generations: Can skill overcome size? Both fighters enter this contest with credentials that mark them as the very best in their respective divisions. Canelo, the undisputed super middleweight champion who has held multiple world titles across four weight classes from 154 to 175 pounds, has the resume and the fan base that have made him the biggest pay-per-view attraction in boxing today. His opponent, Crawford, has proven himself as one of only three male boxers in the four-belt era to become undisputed champion in two weight classes, matching the achievements of Naoya Inoue and Oleksandr Usyk. The significance of this matchup extends beyond belts, however. When Crawford steps through the ropes to face Canelo, he’ll be attempting something that has historically proven treacherous: moving up in weight to challenge an opponent who is both naturally bigger and formidably skilled. Boxing history is littered with the broken dreams of great fighters who discovered that talent alone cannot always bridge the gap created by size and strength. This fight promises to answer whether Crawford’s sublime boxing skills, ring
Things were going so well for Billy Conn until Joe Louis reminded him that weight classes matter.
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