Article first appeared at BigFightWeekend.com
Pitching fighters of the moment versus icons of the past was once the lifeblood of boxing debate. A cynical observer, viewing the inertia which strangles careers and divisions in the present day, could suggest the stars of the modern era should fight their own contemporaries before fans contemplate their prospects versus the heroes of yesteryear.
Terence Crawford moving up from Welterweight to box Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez at 168 pounds is a refreshing example of a fighter daring to take a risk to pursue greatness. A sentiment not ignorant of the irrefutable truth that both men would be considered antiquities in any other era.
Nevertheless, Canelo versus Crawford is a fight which draws to mind the golden era of the Welterweight and Middleweight fights between the Four Kings, Leonard, Roberto Duran, Marvin Hagler and Tommy Hearns.
In the 1970s and 1980s Sugar Ray Leonard was the preeminent attraction of the sport, his star rising as Muhammad Ali’s boxing fortunes began to fade and in the heavyweight lull* before Mike Tyson arrived.
Crawford’s challenge to Canelo holds feint echoes of Leonard’s fight with Hagler 1987, when the retired former Welterweight moved up to 160 pounds to face the Marvellous one. In this case, Crawford steps further and debuts at 168 pounds. A fight that will provoke debate and intrigue both for the purist and the casual fan.
Taking a view on Terence Crawford’s prospects were he to face Leonard at Welterweight, the weight at which both are most effective, draws the age-old quip that Crawford may be able to go the distance with the Hall of Famer, but then again, Ray is 69 years old.
Humour aside, the match up of the two in their respective primes is far more intriguing than nostalgic whimsy would insist. Crawford has poise, an arsenal of punches, good hand speed and is a precise punch selector and an exceptional finisher when the circumstances insist. His victory over Shawn Porter evidence of his ability to ratchet up the aggression when a fight may be slipping away. Reminding older fans of trainer Angelo Dundee’s famous line before the 13th round of Leonard’s 1981 fight with Hearns, when Dundee felt Leonard was behind on the cards; “You’re blowing it son!”
But the evidence of Crawford’s credentials, in bouts with rivals as significant as Hearns, is much more sparse. Crawford’s win over Spence dominant and looms large on his ledger but is undermined by Spence’s issues in advance of their overdue fight in 2023.
This burden of proof will always be problematic for fighters of the modern era. At the zenith of his career Crawford, with his status as the king of the Welterweights confirmed, has boxed just once since beating Spence.
Leonard’s various sabbaticals in his later career means he too doesn’t boast the volume of fights of his own illustrious contemporaries, but it cannot detract from the calibre of the men he beat. There isn’t a fighter on Crawford’s resume to match Hearns, or Hagler or Duran. And argument could be made that Wilfred Benitez, who Leonard beat in the same twelve months he won and lost with Duran and beat Davey ‘Boy’ Green too, would beat everyone on Crawford’s record.
This shouldn’t detract from what Crawford is attempting to achieve on September 16th, the 34th anniversary of that seminal fight between Leonard and Hearns, but the idea Crawford would prevail in a fight with a prime Leonard will remain difficult to argue.
And like all cross generational match ups, impossible to prove.
*Apologies to Larry Holmes
BOXINGWRITER.CO.UK 
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