“What’s better than being Undisputed? Being Undisputed twice. What’s better than being Undisputed twice? Being Undisputed 3 times at three different weights. Now argue with your mom.”

Crawford clearly sees it differently. His argument is straightforward. Becoming unchallenged once is infrequent. Doing this twice puts the athlete in unique company. Doing this three times in three divisions gives him a resume that doesn’t require much defense.

That was Crawford’s response to anyone who questioned the timing of his departure.

Some fans believe Crawford left at the perfect time, before Ennis became more in demand and before top super middleweights started calling for him. Ennis is just a part of it. Crawford’s retirement removed him from the ranks of contenders who would force these fights next.

While Crawford points to his three sets of belts as proof of greatness, a vocal segment of the boxing world sees these titles as shields rather than trophies.

The argument is that being unchallenged today is as much about promotional maneuvers and sanctioning body politics as it is about being the best. To these fans, Crawford’s departure looks like a calculated retreat. By leaving now, he avoids the hungry Jaron “Boots” Ennis and the group of talented 168 fighters that Alvarez ignored for years.

Crawford was allowed to fight for Canelo’s undisputed championship at 168 without facing any of the 168-year-old fighters: Osleys Iglesias, Christian Mbilli, Lester Martinez, Diego Pacheco and Hamzah Sheeraz.

Much of fan frustration stems from “skip the queue” culture. Fans say superstars can compete in title fights without facing established challengers who competed in mandatory positions. When Crawford defeated Canelo, he took the throne, but he didn’t necessarily clear the room.

Muhammad Ali is considered by many to be the greatest heavyweight of all time and arguably the greatest fighter of all time, but in the eyes of another pound-for-pound legend, Floyd Mayweather, there is another recent heavyweight who would defeat “The Greatest.”

Ali suffered five defeats in his iconic career, with three of them coming in his last four contests when his best form was well behind him; losing to Leon Spinks, Larry Holmes and then Trevor Berbick.

His other two shortcomings came at the hands of Joe Frazier and Ken Norton, both of whom he avenged twice in his trilogies, which is one of the many reasons why Ali is considered the best heavyweight operator in history.

In addition to Ali, the other standout candidate for the title is Joe Louis, who holds the record for the longest reign in the history of the division – holding the heavyweight title for almost 12 years and making 25 consecutive title defenses.

However, Mayweather said that by participating in the premier “Winner Stays On” match, which features the best heavyweights of all time, Daily mail box that he believes first-rate Lennox Lewis would beat Ali.

Like Ali before his last two fights, Lewis has defeated every opponent in his career, winning rematches against Oliver McCall and Hasim Rahman, who shockingly knocked him out to become one of five three-time heavyweight champions.

Lewis became the undisputed champion during his career before retiring in the early 2000s, also defeating the likes of Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson.

There is also some frustration on Duarte’s side with the transfers. He’s still upset about how his Feb. 21 date with former IBF 140-pound champion Richardson Hitchins fell apart on fight day. The tardy withdrawal wiped out months of work, leaving Duarte without results after a full training camp and the associated expenses. This fight will be his first real chance to turn this stretch into something concrete.

Duarte pointed directly to the clash of styles. He expects pressure and prefers to face it rather than deal with it.

“I’m here to show my best and let everyone know what I’m capable of,” Duarte said. “Fierro is an aggressive player, so am I. The only way to neutralize his aggressiveness is to step forward and show him what I mean.”

This approach fits his recent career. Duarte has built his reputation on constant pressure and volume in attack, and he has no intention of changing his identity here. He also used the moment to point to a goal beyond Saturday, naming Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz as the type of fight he wants next if he can beat Fierro.

Fierro didn’t throw away style expectations. He embraced it.

“I love being the underdog. I’m here to crash the party,” Fierro said. “I gave everyone an amazing fight against Pitbull Cruz and I will do it again against Duarte.”

This reference to Cruz is significant. Fierro’s loss in this fight still improved his position due to the pace and damage dealt. Here he’s counting on a similar performance whether he wins or not, but he’s made it clear he expects more this time.

“I’m here to steal the show… we’ll delight the fans and I’ll come out with the victory.”

The fight is scheduled for 12 rounds, which gives it room to turn into something more arduous than a typical undercard fight. Both players rely on pressure, both are willing to trade and neither is talking about caution.

This usually leads to a fight that doesn’t last long.