Terence Crawford is a unique and rare fighter.

So unsurprisingly, it’s difficult to find someone who can mimic the 37-year-old's movements in the ring. Canelo Alvarez however, found someone who's as close as it gets.

Jaron Ennis emerged as one of Alvarez's main sparring partners heading into his megafight against Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) this Saturday night at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Much like Crawford, Ennis likes to switch from southpaw to orthodox. For a few weeks, Alvarez (63-2-2, 39 KOs) watched as the 28-year-old did his best to emulate his upcoming opponent. With their showdown, set to be streamed worldwide on Netflix, taking place in just a few short hours, the Mexican star has the sort of confidence you just can’t buy.

However, he wasn’t the only one benefiting from their sparring sessions.

Former unified welterweight champion Ennis (34-0, 30 KOs, 1 NC) has an October 11 date lined up with Uisma Lima at Philadelphia's Wells Fargo Center for his junior middleweight debut. Although still a month away from fight night, the smooth switch-hitter feels ready to go in a new weight class.

Most of his readiness stems from those sparring sessions with Alvarez. Never has Ennis shared the ring with a decorated champion whose elite-level experience dwarfs his own.

Overall, Ennis took a lot from going toe-to-toe with him. While he always believed Alvarez was a terrific fighter, he also realised the Mexican's physical skills matched his psyche.

“Canelo,” Ennis told YSM Sports Media when asked which opponent he faced had the best ring IQ. “Canelo is just real patient, he knows when to throw certain shots.”