Canelo Alvarez showed he had an ace up his sleeve by bringing in Jaron “Boots” Ennis into training camp to prepare for his superfight against Terence Crawford.

The switch-hitting Ennis has long been billed as a carbon copy of Crawford in terms of skillset, and the former Ring, WBA, and IBF champion is tasked by the Mexican superstar to mimic Bud before the real battle begins Sept. 13 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Netflix.

Robert Garcia, The Ring’s 2024 Trainer of the Year and coach to current stars like Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez and Vergil Ortiz Jr., says it was a stroke of genius for the undisputed super middleweight champion Alvarez to add Ennis to the team.

“I think that was a great move to bring Boots into camp,” Garcia told The Ring. “The choice means that Canelo wants to be in the best shape of his life. It's a big plus. I give Canelo an even bigger edge now because of the kind of training I am sure he's going through.

“Boots is the closest thing to Crawford when it comes to style and speed, all the way down to body size. Boots is perfect preparation for Canelo. That means Canelo is going to be ready and in top shape to do his job. That's a good sign.

"A lot of fighters at the end of their careers, when they are looking at the sport as a business, don't really take camp as hard. Boots is not easy sparring, especially since some people believe Boots can beat Crawford in a fight.

"I do definitely see a little bit more of an advantage now for Canelo than I did before.”

Garcia is a big believer in world-class sparring. Last year, while Rodriguez was preparing for his fight against Juan Francisco Estrada, which ultimately ended by seventh-round knockout, Rodriguez endured tremendous sparring sessions with Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez.

“As trainers, we have to do this to get our fighters ready, not only physically but mentally as well,” said Garcia. “That's why having Boots in camp makes a big difference.

“I can't go against Canelo. He's a bigger and stronger man. But I could see Crawford pulling it off. In the last few fights, Canelo has been a little flat-footed, throwing one punch at a time, and not being able to pressure as much as he used to. It hasn't been spectacular. He doesn't go for the kill anymore and carries his opponents.

“Crawford needs to fight the perfect fight to beat Canelo by decision, if Canelo doesn't show hunger and apply the pressure like he used to. But I am not going to put my money on it. If I'm forced to put money on it, I am going with Canelo.”

Garcia also understands what Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) is trying to accomplish against Alvarez (63-2-2, 39 KOs).

In 2019, Garcia’s brother Mikey Garcia moved up two weight classes as well, from lightweight to welterweight, to face Errol Spence Jr. in what ended up being a one-sided unanimous decision win in favor of Spence.

“It's hard to move up two divisions, especially when you go up against the best in the division,” Garcia said. “Crawford is trying to do what we tried to do against Spence. It could happen if you pick the right guy, then everything is possible.

“But it's a huge jump in weight for Crawford, so Canelo needs to make a statement to prove to everybody that it was a big mistake for Crawford to think that he had a chance. If the fight ends up being close, I don't think it's going to look good on Canelo.”