Terence Crawford is staking his claim as boxing’s best active talent following his historic upset of Saul “Canelo” Alvarez.
Despite contesting most of his career a much lighter weight, Crawford (42-0, 31 KOs) outclassed Alvarez to capture boxing’s undisputed super middleweight championship with a sensational performance on Saturday at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, winning a unanimous decision and becoming the first male boxer of the four-belt era to earn undisputed status in three different divisions. It’s a feat that required Crawford to vault up two divisions to even attempt, and one that cements him as one of the greatest fighters of this — or any — era.
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“This is the top of the top,” Crawford said following his win, which aired globally on Netflix.
“Canelo is an all-time great, like I said before. He’s the last one. There’s no more Canelos, there’s no more. So when you look around, you say I’m that Canelo. I’m the face of boxing now. I’m the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, like I’ve always been.”
Terence Crawford is boxing’s first male three-division undisputed champion following his massive win over Saul “Canelo” Alvarez on Saturday night.
(Harry How via Getty Images)
Crawford, 38, previously captured undisputed titles at both super lightweight (140 pounds) and welterweight (147 pounds). He entered Saturday’s much-anticipated bout as a betting underdog on BetMGM, largely because of worries over his perceived size disadvantage — Crawford had only once ever boxed as high as 154 pounds as a professional, while “Canelo” was a perfect 11-0 at super middleweight (168 pounds) and had contended for championships as heavy as light heavyweight (175 pounds).
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Yet Crawford was one step ahead of Alvarez from the opening bell, out-landing the Mexican legend 115-99 in total punches and 56-34 in power punches to the head. Crawford was never significantly hurt by “Canelo” and noted afterward that he’d been hit harder past opponents in the lighter weight classes, citing Lithuanian welterweight Egidijus Kavaliauskas in particular, whom Crawford beat in 2019.
“A lot of people said I don’t have no defense, that I get hit with these big shots and that’s what they were worried about. Hey, there’s only so much that they can say now,” Crawford said.
“[Alvarez] was definitely frustrated, because what he was trying to do wasn’t working, and when he’d get hit, he was just like, ‘Man,’ shaking his head like, ‘I can’t believe I got hit with that.'”
For his part, Alvarez (63-3-2, 39 KOs) seemed to agree. Speaking at his post-fight press conference, “Canelo” readily acknowledged Crawford’s in-ring superiority and poured plaudits over the American’s ability to keep him off rhythm and unable to make the right adjustments throughout the 12-round bout.
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“I think Crawford is way better than Floyd Mayweather,” Alvarez said, referencing his 2013 decision loss to Mayweather.
“We knew Crawford is a great fighter, and I did what I was suppose to do. I tried every way and I trained really hard, and he deserves all the credit. I tried my best tonight and I just could not figure out the style.
“Everything [he did gave me the most trouble],” Alvarez added. “He has everything.”
Alvarez, 35, suddenly finds himself without a championship belt for the first time in a decade — a remarkable feat, which speaks to his longevity as an elite fighter at the highest levels of boxing.
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“I still feel like a champion, so it is what it is,” he said. “You need to take the loss and accept everything. But I’m going to continue, I’m going to continue to do it.”
Crawford, similarly, indicated that he’s leaving his options open following Saturday’s historic win.
He repeatedly declined to say whether he’ll fight again or retire after upsetting the face of boxing. He’s simply happy, he said, to have finally proven to the world what he knew about himself all along.
“Great things come to those who wait. The cream always rises to the top,” Crawford said. “All the time that they blocked me out [of big fights], they said I won’t fight nobody, I can’t beat this dude, I can’t beat that dude — every time that I got the chance, I wiped the floor with them. I wiped the floor with them. So just imagine where I would’ve been at today if I had gotten those opportunities a long time ago.
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“But then again, it wasn’t my time. My time is now and I’m happy that everything played out the way it did. And you’re looking at the undisputed champion of the world right now.”
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