Terence Crawford is leaving no stone unturned in his quest to secure a win against Mexican superstar Canelo Alvarez at his own weight class.

The matchup that fans have been clamoring for since last year is finally on the horizon. It is set to take place at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas this September. Crawford is giving it his all to prepare for the showdown. But there’s a major hurdle.

While Crawford has been a dominant force in the welterweight division, Canelo reigns supreme in the super middleweight division. Even though he has made it into the light middleweight division, Canelo is still two weight classes away. To stand a chance against the Mexican icon, Crawford knows he’ll need to bulk up close to 13 lbs for the challenge.

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And that’s exactly what Crawford has been doing. Based on his latest Instagram story, the Omaha native has already begun adjusting to the higher weight class, showing off a career-heaviest 186 lbs—hinting that he’s not just talking the talk, but walking the walk. His weight gain has reignited the hopes of many fans who believe Terence Crawford might just pull off the impossible. But not everyone’s buying into the hype just yet. So to silence the doubters, Crawford recently spoke up, clearing the air once and for all.

Crawford’s commitment to the challenge became clear when he recently attended Keyshawn Davis’ impressive victory over Denys Brinchyk at Madison Square Garden Theater in New York. While there, he was approached by Fight Hype for a brief conversation.

The reporter asked Crawford about his decision to move up to 168 lbs to face Canelo Alvarez. He was curious about what motivated Crawford to take on this major challenge. Crawford responded by emphasizing his desire to challenge himself. “I want to challenge myself,” the 41-0 stated confidently.

Terence Crawford acknowledged Canelo as an “all-time great.” Not just that. The 37-year-old also considers him “one of the best that came out of Mexico”. However, Crawford also sees himself as one of the “all-time greats.” He felt this was the perfect time to put his skills to the test against a fighter of Canelo Alvarez’s caliber.

Crawford’s use of the phrase “Big chances, big rewards” highlighted that he is fully aware of the high risk involved in facing a much bigger opponent. He’s not shying away from the challenge but rather embracing it with the belief that the potential reward—cementing his legacy as one of the best in the sport—makes it all worth it.

Despite his confidence, Terence Crawford’s weight increase to 186 lbs raised some eyebrows. Some wondered if this move was just a publicity stunt or a miscalculation.

Mikey Garcia, a four-division world champion, recently shared his thoughts on the situation, expressing concerns about Crawford’s weight gain. While talking to ES News, he even gave his own example and revealed, “When I was fighting, my last few fights at the welterweight division, I was weighing around 120, but I was walking around like 56-58, during training. So you still have to cut weight.”

The former four-division champion pointed out that fighters typically need to cut weight even when moving up a division, albeit less drastically. “Look everybody, even when you are “Moving up the weight,” you are still cutting weight,” stated the veteran boxer. He speculated that Terence Crawford might be exaggerating his current weight. But also noted that if Crawford could manage his new weight without affecting his performance, it could work in his favor. However, the possibility of him losing speed and agility due to the extra bulk remains a concern, especially against someone as quick as Canelo.

While the weight increase is notable, Crawford’s reputation as a top-level fighter means that any changes to his body or strategy will be closely scrutinized. It remains to be seen if the extra weight will affect his speed or if he can adapt his footwork to stay at the top of his game. The questions around his weight, performance, and whether the added bulk will hurt his speed are all part of what makes this fight so compelling.