Terence Crawford would cause the seismic shock of the boxing calendar if he were to score a knockout or a stoppage win over rock-chinned Mexican warrior Canelo Alvarez in their upcoming September showdown. But Crawford, who is as we know moving up from 154 pounds (where he has boxed just the one time) to 168, is adamant, as he has been for a while, that he CAN hurt Canelo with his shots and that he will prove it on the night in Las Vegas.

Speaking again with The Ring, Crawford, 41-0(31), said he can “do great damage” with his punches when he rumbles with the defending unified super middleweight champion. Crawford also says he is fully aware that he will have to take Canelo’s blows at stages during the fight.

Crawford promises violence: “He’s gotta take my punches too”

“We definitely gonna find out if I get hit with a shot that I need to take,” Crawford said when speaking with Mike Coppinger. “That’s why we fight. He gotta take my punches, too. I know a lotta people say, ‘Oh, well, he took Triple-G’s punches, he took Bivol’s, all these punches and all these fighters and this. I believe in myself, I believe in my punching power and I believe the right punch at the right time, I can do great damage.”

While Crawford is not what could be referred to as a devastating puncher, say like a Thomas Hearns (who Crawford does have something of a facial resemblance to, at least in my opinion), he does have spiteful punching ability, and while Crawford is not likely to render Canelo, 63-2-2(39) unconscious, he could perhaps inflict some nasty cuts and facial injuries on his super fight rival and stop him that way. Maybe.

Can Crawford’s skills overcome the size gap?

Crawford needs to fight the fight of his career to win this one, and that’s just what he is aiming to do. Canelo, though, will be looking to break Crawford down, likely with thunderous body shots. Just why some fans are down on this fight and are suggesting it will be a boring affair, really is beyond me.

Look instead for a great fight in September, with both men fighting like the devil in an order to get the victory. Prediction: no matter who wins, fans will be calling the Canelo-Crawford fight a modern day classic come September 14.