Terence Crawford on Saturday clinched a unanimous victory over Saul “Canelo” Alvarez of Mexico to become the undisputed super middleweight champion in a thrilling contest at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Crawford set the pace from the start with a measured display that showcased his incredible hand speed and precise footwork, as the judges scored the fight 116-112, 115-113 and 115-113 in favor of the American.
The victory made Crawford the first male boxer to be crowned an undisputed champion in three different weight classes.
Photo: AP
“I’m not here by coincidence. Canelo is a great champion, I have to take my hat off to him. He’s a great competitor, and I have great respect for him. He fought like a champion,” said Crawford, who was in tears after his win was announced.
Asked if he would fight again, he said: “I don’t know, I have to sit down with my team, and we’ll talk about it.”
“I want to say thank you to all the supporters and the haters. I appreciate you all. Shout out to my fans and those supporting Canelo. We get to go home to our children,” he added.
With Alvarez and Crawford both having been recognized as the world’s top pound-for-pound boxers in the past, the fight always promised to be a boxing master class.
The pair delivered an entertaining battle that had the more than 70,000 people in attendance and millions on Netflix watching with bated breath throughout the 12-round showcase.
Crawford, a former undisputed champion at both light welterweight and welterweight, as well as a four-division world champion, stepped up two weight classes for the bout.
He tipped the scales at a career-high 75.98kg at the weigh-in on Friday, exactly the same as Alvarez, but that step-up did not appear to affect his mobility.
Keenly aware of his opponent’s superior power, Crawford was the better boxer for much of the bout and expertly neutralized Alvarez’s offence with a treacherous balancing act.
The 37-year-old maintained his distance as he flitted in and out of danger, landing flurries of blows on his opponent. The attritional assault by the smaller boxer put Alvarez on the back foot.
The Mexican champion connected with a few body shots early on, but after being outboxed throughout the first half, he threw caution to the wind and retaliated with brute force in search of a knockout.
If anything, Crawford only grew in confidence, landing devastating combinations and absorbing any punches that sneaked through his guard as he improved his record to 42-0 (31 KOs) and kept his remarkable unbeaten streak alive.
For Alvarez, there was pride even in defeat.
“I’m a winner for being here. The fact I’m here makes me a winner. I take risks, and that’s what I did,” he said. “I feel great to share the ring with great fighters like him. If we do it again, then it’ll be great. I already accomplished a lot in boxing. My legacy is already there, and I like taking risks, because I love boxing.”
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