How Terence Crawford and Naoya Inoue delivered fireworks when they last headlined the same fight week

Boxing fans will get the chance to watch two of the best three fighters on the planet this weekend with Terence Crawford and Naoya Inoue both in action.

Crawford, who is ranked the third best pound-for-pound boxer in the world by The Ring, will step between the ropes first when he challenges Canelo Alvarez for his super middleweight titles tonight.

Then it will be the turn of Inoue – a place above Crawford on the pound-for-pound list – to defend his super bantamweight belts against the hard-hitting Murodjon Akhmadaliev on Sunday.

Just over two years ago, Crawford and Inoue headlined separate shows in the same week, and they both produced electric performances.

Let’s revisit that memorable week and look ahead to whether they can replicate those displays this weekend to preserve their unbeaten records.

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Naoya Inoue vs Stephen Fulton

Inoue was first up back in July 2023 as he faced Stephen Fulton for the American’s WBC and WBO super bantamweight titles in front of his home fans in Tokyo.

It was Inoue’s first fight up at 122lbs after he became the undisputed bantamweight champion in his previous outing.

The then-unbeaten Fulton had been a champion for two-and-a-half years and was expected to be the toughest test of Inoue’s career.

But any concerns over how Inoue would fare in a higher weight class were quickly erased as he went straight to work from the opening bell.

Inoue is renowned for his knockout power, but it was his ability to create openings with his boxing skills that stood out on this particular night.

He outboxed Fulton throughout the first half of the fight and had plenty of success with his jab to the body as he tried to bring Fulton’s guard down.

This strategy paid dividends in the eighth round as Fulton went to protect his midriff and was caught by a thunderous right hand over the top.

Fulton staggered backwards and crumpled to the canvas after a further onslaught from Inoue.

The Japanese superstar began to celebrate, believing that Fulton was not going to be able to continue.

Remarkably, Fulton did return to his feet, but the writing was on the wall. Inoue swiftly refocused and rattled off another combination to finish the fight.

Inoue had shown he was far more than just a puncher as he became the unified super bantamweight champion following a dazzling display.

Terence Crawford vs Errol Spence

Inoue delivered a performance fitting of a pound-for-pound great against Fulton. Crawford got his chance to respond four days later against Errol Spence and knew he had to produce something special to steal the limelight.

It was also an opportunity for Crawford to create history. Having completely unified the super lightweight division six years earlier, a victory over Spence up at welterweight would make Crawford the first man ever to be an undisputed champion in two weight divisions.

Neither Crawford or Spence had tasted defeat before and there was little to separate the pair with the bookmakers. But Crawford made a mockery of the odds once the first bell rang.

After a quiet opening round, Crawford sparked into life when he knocked Spence down in the second with a sharp one-two combination.

Spence was not badly hurt, but that trip to the canvas set the tone for the rest of the fight.

Crawford got the better of almost every exchange as he built up a huge lead on the scorecards, and he then scored two more knockdowns in the seventh round.

Spence wanted to go out on his shield and fought on, but he could not get a foothold in the fight.

The end finally came in the ninth as Crawford unloaded more hurtful punches that left Spence staggering around the ring before the referee mercifully jumped in.

Crawford had needed a standout name on his resume and when he finally got his shot at an established champion in Spence, he seized it with both hands.

Will Terence Crawford and Naoya Inoue do the double again this weekend?

On paper, Crawford has the far tougher task. He is set to jump up two weight divisions to fight another pound-for-pound star in Canelo as he bids to earn undisputed status in a third weight category.

Exactly how Crawford will adapt to his new weight class is unknown, while Canelo is a super middleweight veteran who has made the division his own in recent years.

Crawford may have to put in a career-best performance to get his hand raised, but he proved against Spence that he can raise his game for the big occasion.

Inoue is a clear favourite for his own fight with Akhmadaliev but he cannot take victory for granted. Akhmadaliev has only lost one of his 15 professional fights, and has 11 knockouts on his record, demonstrating his punching ability.

Inoue has also been dropped in two of his last four fights as he has started to show some vulnerability for the first time in his career.

Another high-quality weekend of boxing awaits, with Crawford and Inoue hoping it all ends in a double celebration just like in July 2023.

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