Experts' picks and best bet: How can Crawford upset Canelo?

Terence Crawford is moving up 2 divisions Saturday to situation Canelo Alvarez for his undisputed ace middleweight title (9 p.m. ET, Netflix).

Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) has won titles successful 4 value classes and has been undisputed champion astatine inferior welterweight and welterweight. If helium beats Canelo, helium volition go the archetypal combatant successful men's boxing to unify each 4 large belts successful 3 divisions.

Canelo (63-2-2, 39 KOs) defeated Caleb Plant by 11th-round TKO successful November 2021 to go undisputed champion astatine 168 pounds. He made 4 palmy defenses earlier the IBF stripped him for not warring mandatory challenger William Scull and alternatively facing Edgar Berlanga past September. Canelo yet fought Scull successful May to regain the championship. All Canelo victories since stopping Plant person been by decision.

Can Crawford beryllium palmy successful a higher division? Will helium support his velocity and powerfulness and upset the favored Canelo? Or volition Canelo beryllium the archetypal combatant to decision Crawford, and tin helium sound him out?

We asked boxers, boxing insiders and trainers to stock their thoughts connected however the combat could play retired and prime a winner. ESPN betting adept Ian Parker adds penetration connected the champion bets for the fight.

What the experts person to say

Editor's note: Content has been edited for brevity and clarity.

Amir Khan, erstwhile inferior welterweight champion; mislaid to Canelo and Crawford

How bash Canelo and Crawford lucifer up?

Canelo's powerfulness is precise devastating, and with the operation of punches that helium throws, he's inactive a batch faster than you think. A batch of radical say, "Oh, he's slower." He's not. He's a almighty fighter.

Canelo's not truly a accelerated starter, though. If you look astatine his past mates of fights, he's been boxing more. He conscionable gets the win. He's not got that occurrence successful him similar helium utilized to person wherever helium had to beryllium a point, due to the fact that he's proven helium tin sound radical out. He's moving connected things and he's enjoying himself successful determination now, and helium can't truly bash that against Crawford.

I'm the lone feline that's ever shared the ringing with some guys. Both deed hard, truthful this is simply a hard combat to call.

Who wins?

It's a large combat for the fans. If it comes down to being a boxer and moving around, I got Crawford destroying Canelo easily. Canelo has to excavation heavy and spell backmost to however helium utilized to combat backmost successful the time against the likes of Floyd Mayweather and those guys wherever helium doesn't springiness a damn and walks done you. But it's a 50-50 fight. I thin toward Crawford. Why? Because Crawford is the fresher fighter. Canelo has had excessively galore pugnacious fights.

Ray Beltran, erstwhile lightweight champion; mislaid to Crawford

What does Crawford person to bash to bushed Canelo?

When I fought Crawford, I enactment a batch of unit connected him. He was conscionable truthful smart, keeping maine conscionable acold capable away. He created capable region to bushed me. I don't deliberation Canelo has that benignant of pressure; he's flat-footed now. I'm not comparing myself to Canelo astatine all, but based connected past fights, I judge each Crawford has to bash is enactment connected the outside, beryllium smart, don't prosecute with Canelo due to the fact that evidently he's excessively large for him and I don't deliberation Crawford has the powerfulness to sound him out. Crawford indispensable conscionable beryllium smart. And I judge that if helium does that, it's going to triumph him the decision.

The crushed I springiness Crawford a accidental is due to the fact that Canelo is not a large 168-pounder. I mean, Canelo has been warring astatine that weight, but he's not a earthy large guy. The question is however Crawford volition accommodate to the weight. If helium adapts good capable to the size, I judge helium tin win. And different crushed wherefore I springiness Crawford a accidental is due to the fact that Canelo gets tired; helium starts fading aft six, 7 rounds. If Crawford fights astute enough, I judge he's got the benignant -- an elusive style, not a one-dimensional benignant -- to bushed Canelo. Don't prosecute with Canelo, beryllium smart, triumph by points. I judge Crawford tin propulsion it off.

It's not the jab. It is not the strength. It's not the powerfulness for Crawford. I person sparred with Amir Khan, Jorge Linares, who's ace talented. I person sparred with Manny Pacquiao, Ruslan Provodnikov -- each champions. But Crawford is special. He covers each angle. It's similar a scanner. He reads you, past picks you apart. He conscionable figures you out. To me, Crawford is simply a cleanable fighter. He's conscionable truthful good. That's wherefore I can't spot hi...