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With champions Celtic arguably in a weaker state and city rivals Rangers enduring their worst league start since 1983, is this the season a non-Old Firm club finally delivers a serious Scottish Premiership title challenge?

Despite Brendan Rodgers’ side being a penalty shootout win away from securing another domestic treble just four months ago, there is a sense things have gone a bit stale at Parkhead.

The Celtic support became increasingly irate throughout the transfer window because of a lack of business they deemed acceptable.

That fury only intensified when a hugely underwhelming deadline day followed the club’s Champions League exit and a blunt display in a goalless Old Firm draw.

Rangers, meanwhile, have splashed the cash under new ownership but have won just three games out of 11 under head coach Russell Martin, who is also yet to taste victory in four league matches.

Following the dreary derby stalemate at Ibrox, many were starting to feel Tony Bloom’s bullish comments were not so outlandish.

Last month, the Brighton & Hove Albion owner, who now has a 29% stake in Heart of Midlothian, said the Tynecastle club have a “very good chance of at least being second” this campaign.

The Gorgie side are making use of Bloom’s Jamestown Analytics software, which proved integral in Union Saint-Gilloise’s remarkable rise to become Belgian top-flight champions for the first time in 90 years just last season.

Despite that, Bloom’s bold remarks were predictably sneered at across the country.

A month later, Celtic and Rangers played out one of the worst Old Firm derbies in living memory off the back of their own European humiliations.

Martin’s men failed to have a shot on target in the match. Brendan Rodgers’ side had just two.

On the evidence of that contest alone, there should be nothing to frighten non-Old Firm teams when facing Glasgow’s big two this term.

And it was Bloom’s fearlessness that caught the eye when he declared Hearts are in a position to challenge now.

That is also the view of former Hearts boss Robbie Neilson, who told the BBC’s Scottish Football Podcast: “At the start of the season, I said it was probably going to be a one-horse race. Now I think it’s potentially a two, maybe even a three, if you look at what Hearts have done.”

Well, what have Hearts done?

As well as recruiting 10 new faces with the influence of Bloom’s Jamestown model, they have appointed a head coach in Derek McInnes whose vast experience in Scottish football includes pushing Celtic for titles with Aberdeen.

In four straight seasons between 2014-15 and 2017-18, McInnes’ Dons finished as runners-up in the Premiership.

This term, his Hearts team have needed late goals and comebacks to take 10 points from their opening four league games but that tally leaves them level with a Celtic side who are top on goal difference.

Despite being five points off Celtic and Hearts with a game to spare, Hibernian might well have the same aspirations as their city rivals after their third-placed finish last term.

European exploits have been a factor in their back-to-back league draws with Kilmarnock and St Mirren, but the Leith side’s performances on the continent demonstrated how serious a team they are.

David Gray’s men can count themselves unlucky with the draws they were handed, yet they still avoided defeat in three away legs with Midtjylland, Partizan Belgrade and Legia Warsaw.

A vital part of those impressive showings has to be the continuity within the squad.

Hibs have retained almost all of their best XI from last term and have arguably upgraded the midfield with the additions of Josh Mulligan, Jamie McGrath and Miguel Chaiwa.

At the end of November, Gray’s side were bottom of the table, but a remarkable run of form stretching to the end of the season earned them third spot.

In their past 28 league games, they have lost just three times.

Their points-per-game tally over that period is verging on two, which would average out to a total of 76 over the course of a 38-game season.

That would have been enough to finish just a point above Rangers last term but Celtic on 92 would have still been way in the distance.

It tells us to put a big pin in our balloon of optimism – or at least let a good bit of air out of it.

It is easy to watch either – or both – of Glasgow’s big two and bin them off after they fail to pass the eye test, but they will likely still go on to post points tallies non-Old Firm clubs cannot find the consistency to come close to.

We are seeing that already in the infancy of the current campaign, with Hibs drawing two of their three opening games.

Meanwhile, despite a statement end to the transfer window, Aberdeen are rooted to the foot of the table with three straight defeats.

Closing the sizeable margin between second and third could prove hard enough. The average distance between the two spots over the past five seasons is 22 points.

That gap reflects a widening financial chasm, with qualification for Uefa’s club competitions playing a key role.

While Celtic and Rangers have both failed to reach the Champions League this season, both still accounted for about 86% of the transfer fees spent in the Premiership this summer, according to Transfermarkt.

It makes the Edinburgh pair breaking their transfer records in the past window look like a tiny drop in the ocean.

And Hearts (74) and Hibs (67) would likely also have to smash their top-flight points records to stand a chance of even finishing second.

A Rangers side that was led by Barry Ferguson for the final three months of last term failed to win 16 games over the course of the 2024-25 Premiership campaign yet they still finished 17 points clear of Hibs in third.

Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and Terence Crawford have got a lot to lose for different reasons.

For both men, to lose this fight is not a good look and it’s not going to be good for their legacies.

Do I think their legacies and what they’ve done prior to this should be wiped out with a loss? No, but you know how this goes.

This is the last thing that people are going to remember and it’s the thing that they’re never going to let you forget about.

This is a bona fide once-in-a-generation super-fight.

It’s a match-up that commands attention.

Alvarez is the face of boxing and has never been beaten down or dominated. He may have draws and losses on his record, but there are explanations – moving up in weight or nights where he felt he could have got the nod.

He didn’t have an amateur career but learned his craft as a pro, debuting at just 15.

Now 35, he talks as if he wants to continue fighting for another five to ten years, but the signs suggest he is winding down. What’s certain is he won’t want another blemish.

Although Alvarez may be the name most casual fans know, make no mistake – this is no crossroads fight.

Alvarez has more miles on the clock, but Crawford, who turns 38 shortly after the fight, is the older man. He’s been around a long time and had a long amateur career too.

The weight disparity, and what Crawford is attempting – moving up two divisions to chase a third undisputed crown – only adds to the allure.

I’m not a betting man, but it’s hard to bet against Crawford. It’s later than it should have been, but he is finally getting recognition as an all-time great.

When Crawford and Alvarez stand side-by-side, the difference isn’t huge.

Alvarez has been fighting at 168lb for years and knows how to carry it. I don’t know how big he gets when he’s not training. With his stature and frame, there’s a danger of getting too big between camps if he’s not locked in.

Depending on which tale of the tape you look at, Crawford might even have a slight edge in height.

The more significant disparity is reach – Crawford has it by four inches, and it could be crucial. Alvarez will need to work to get inside without being caught by a shot that changes everything.

Even if the size difference isn’t obvious, Crawford will feel the weight on fight night.

Alvarez has been in with natural super-middleweights and that experience matters.

When I moved up to face Sergey Kovalev at light-heavyweight, I didn’t jump straight from 168lb (12st) to 175lb (12st 7lb) – I settled in first, carried that weight in real fights, with ten-ounce gloves, against bigger men.

Crawford doesn’t have that luxury. You’ve got to commend him for stepping straight up.

We’ve seen signs of decline in Alvarez, but that’s expected. He’s still one of the best in the world.

At this stage of his career it’s about efficiency – being smarter, using experience.

Some recent opponents haven’t forced him to throw 80-100 punches a round. He doesn’t need to any more – he knows how to win rounds and manage fights.

Against Crawford, it’s different. He won’t be able to just lazily walk him down.

We’ll need to see the full skillset of Alvarez: his underrated defence, the slips, rolls, and counters. Cutting off the ring, making his presence felt, landing power shots.

But he will also have to be a smart boxer, because across from him is a high-IQ fighter.

The main question with Crawford is inactivity. He’s had just one fight in more than two years – a points win over Israil Madrimov 13 months ago.

That’s what makes this intriguing. The variables pile up and questions keep coming.

What we do know is Crawford has never been turned over in 41 pro fights. He’s stubborn, disciplined, and smart enough to use that reach, keep Alvarez off balance, and make him pay for every step forward.