‘We gonna give the fans a show, for sure’: Crawford anticipates the best out of Canelo

Terence Crawford believes his versatility evens the playing field against Canelo Alvarez.

Previewing the September 13 showdown between Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford, both fighters sat down with Piers Morgan for a lengthy interview where Morgan posed questions about their upbringing, mentality, and physical capabilities heading into their fight.

Neither fighter was too keen on getting into the deeply personal questions Morgan had to ask with regards to Canelo fighting through the kidnapping of his brother or Crawford getting shot years ago, but here’s some of what both fighters had to say.

Crawford on if he thinks Canelo has advantages over him

“Canelo is a great fighter. We all have agreed on that. I cannot say that another man is better than me in anything because he ain’t proven it yet. I can’t say if his jab is better than mine ‘cause I haven’t been in the ring with him. I can’t say if a person right hand is better than mine because everything that I do, I feel I do it great.”

Canelo on Crawford’s confidence

“I like that because that’s when you realize it’s going to be a good fight. I like that. I like to hear that because that’s when realize it’s going to be a great fight and I love it. I enjoy it.

“He’s a very skillful fighter. He have maybe a lot of things better than me but fighters judge me behind or out of the ring but when they into the ring with me they find out it’s different. I have a lot of talent, a lot of things, a lot of things they don’t know until they in the ring with me.”

Crawford on his mindset heading into Canelo fight

“You got two alpha males over that know what they capable of, so they don’t have to put on a front or a show. We gonna give the fans a show, for sure, but we both know what we’re capable of.”

Crawford on having a reach advantage over Canelo

“It could be in some cases, but in some cases it could be a disadvantage. Canelo’s real good at slipping in side shots and mid-range that could be his advantage. So I never think about just because I got long arms that could be my advantage. Yeah, it’s an advantage on the outside but then if the fight goes on the inside it’s what you do with your long arms, how short can you throw your shots. So I’m well-rounded on all playing fields.”

Crawford on what weight he’s currently at

“I don’t know. 155.”

Crawford on if he’s concerned that he’s only at 155 when this fight is at 168 and if getting up to that weight could hinder his style

“No, not at all ‘cause I just look at us fighters like, we carry a lot of weight anyway. I’ll just be fighting at one of my natural weights.”

Canelo on those who believe he’s a drug cheat based on failed tests in the past

“People who don’t want to believe, they don’t believe even if it is true what I say or the proof is there. They want to believe what they want to believe and I don’t really care.”