This was never a bout long in the making – the pair had operated in different weight classes – but the scale of Alvarez’s commercial power and Crawford’s immaculate record elevated it into a genuine super-fight.
Crawford now stands as a five-weight world champion, adding undisputed status at light-welterweight and welterweight to his latest triumph.
In doing so, he emulates his friend Claressa Shields, who was ringside and remains female boxing’s trailblazer with undisputed crowns in three divisions.
With the fight broadcast globally on Netflix to a potential audience of more than 300 million, his fame could now soar.
Although Crawford has admitted retirement is not off the table, the options before him are vast – and so too are the potential paydays.
For Alvarez, the critics will be unforgiving. He lost to a great fighter, but one stepping up to super-middleweight for the first time.
It was a gamble and it backfired.
But after 20 years at the pinnacle, the Mexican icon has little left to prove. His legacy is secure, and when the time comes to walk away it will be on his own terms.
“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.
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