In a segment with The Ring, Crawford ranked Canelo above Manny Pacquiao and other legends. Only Mayweather, De la Hoya, and Bivol are superior, according to him.

Crawford makes it clear who he respects... and who he doesn't

Terence Crawford heated up the build-up to his fight against Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez by leaving several boxing legends out of his all-time top list, including none other than Manny Pacquiao. In an interview with The Ring Magazine, the undefeated champion reacted to a list of nine great boxers and only recognized three as better than the Mexican: Floyd Mayweather Jr., Dmitry Bivol, and Óscar de la Hoya.
The move was no accident: by ignoring figures such as Pacquiao, Bernard Hopkins, Carl Froch, Félix Trinidad, Chris Eubank Jr., and Artur Beterbiev, Crawford implied that he considers Canelo to be more complete or dominant than all of them.

The only three better than Canelo, according to Crawford

Terence Crawford only accepted that three boxers are above the Mexican:
Floyd Mayweather Jr., who defeated Canelo in 2013, remains the absolute benchmark of his generation.
Dmitry Bivol, who beat the Guadalajara native in 2022 in light heavyweight, also appears on that short list.
Óscar de la Hoya, former fighter and promoter, was the surprise, especially considering his current tense relationship with Canelo.
These answers not only show Crawford's respect for certain names, but also outline how he values careers beyond the number of titles.

The fight is brewing in the media

These statements come ahead of the highly anticipated fight between Crawford and Canelo, which will take place on September 13 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. The American will seek to make history by defeating the undisputed super middleweight champion, something that only Mayweather and Bivol have achieved.
Meanwhile, Canelo is coming off a solid victory over William Scull in May, while Crawford has not fought since August 2024, when he defeated Israil Madrimov in the super welterweight division. The stage is set... and so is the tension.