How are Canelo and Crawford preparing for their September 13 showdown?

How are Canelo and Crawford preparing for their September 13 showdown?

Both fighters have been in intense training camps since the fight was announced, with each facing unique challenges in their preparation:

Terence Crawford's Preparation:

• Bulking Up Smartly: A major focus for Crawford is adding lean muscle mass and adjusting to 168 lbs without sacrificing speed. Reports indicate Crawford has been working with his strength and conditioning team to add weight gradually while maintaining his explosive power.

• Sparring Bigger Fighters: To acclimate to bigger opponents, Crawford has brought in sparring partners from middleweight and super middleweight divisions. Notably, he's sparring Lester Martínez (a super middleweight contender) to get used to the size and power difference.

• Strategy and Skills: Technically, Crawford is likely honing a game plan based on movement, sharp jabs and counters. His team knows Canelo is a slower-footed fighter, so expect Crawford to train on maintaining distance and using his superior footwork.

• Mental Prep: Crawford is famously calm and confident. He's said he visualizes scenarios obsessively – so he's mentally preparing for Canelo's body shots, for possibly getting rocked and recovering, and for the pressure of fighting in front of a massive crowd.

Canelo Álvarez's Preparation:

• Maintaining Speed and Stamina: Canelo's challenge is a bit different – he's already comfortable at 168, but he's facing a faster opponent. So Team Canelo (headed by coach Eddy Reynoso) is likely emphasizing speed drills and ensuring he can match Crawford's pace.

• Body Attack and Counterpunching: Canelo's bread-and-butter against a mover is body punching. In training, he's focusing on combinations that finish with a hook to the liver or an uppercut to the body, knowing Crawford will try to stay on the outside.

• Conditioning: After some critiques of Canelo's punch output (only 152 punches thrown in the Scull fight, which was abnormally low), there's likely a focus on ensuring he can increase volume against Crawford's movement.

• Game Plan: Canelo's team probably wants him to be the aggressor – smart pressure. So they're working on cutting the ring drills. You might catch Canelo doing shadowboxing imagining an elusive target.

Both camps are keeping details under wraps, but the preparation is undoubtedly intense. Crawford's team is focused on the size adjustment and maintaining speed, while Canelo's camp is emphasizing pressure and body work. The mental aspect is crucial too – both men know this is a legacy-defining fight.

(Sources: Training camp reports from ESPN and boxing media; fighter interviews about preparation.)