Terence Crawford’s brilliance exposes Canelo Alvarez’s big mistake

LAS VEGAS — There was a moment in the fourth round of Saturday’s undisputed super middleweight world championship fight between Terence Crawford and Saul “Canelo” Alvarez when “Bud” appeared to realize he had Alvarez’s number.

Toward the end of the round, “Canelo” launched a lead left uppercut and followed with a right hand. That second shot landed clean, but Crawford only grinned. The bell rang, and Crawford still stood there, smiling, seemingly as if to signal to Alvarez: Boxing is my world, and you’re just living in it.

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It felt like a turning point in the fight. The instant when it dawned on Crawford that his skill set — in which his southpaw stance, jab and counter-punching combined — could unravel the long-reigning face of the sport. Whatever “Canelo” fired back no longer had any bite. It must have been a confidence-boosting combo for “Bud.”

Only, if you asked Crawford afterward, that wasn’t really the moment. Speaking to Uncrowned and other reporters, he knew he’d beaten “Canelo” when “he signed the contract.”

Crawford’s remark in the late hours of Saturday night summed up the attitude he carried into the biggest assignment of his career. The same patience, adaptability and cold-blooded assurance that dismantled Errol Spence Jr. two years ago were on display again under the Allegiant Stadium’s lights.

Earlier in the week, I made the mistake of telling Crawford that his Spence demolition job was one of the most impressive performances I’d ever covered live as a fight reporter. I should have waited a few more days. Against “Canelo,” Crawford revealed levels so high they rendered any difference in size irrelevant.

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“Bud” showcased a two-way brilliance, pairing defensive mastery with varied offense.

He blocked overhand rights with a left glove he kept close to his temple, and tucked his right elbow tight to his side to stifle Alvarez’s vaunted left hook to the ribs. He slid laterally to make him miss. On the rare occasion a shot landed clean, Crawford’s chin belied the fact that he was fighting three weight classes down at welterweight as recently as 2023.

The contrast was glaring. While “Canelo” was reduced to single power punches, Crawford stitched together combinations — four, then five, then six shots at a time — mixing head and body, angles and speeds. He timed “Canelo” with impeccable left hands, controlled range, and showcased a shot selection that bordered on cruel.

By the midway point he was already ahead. In the second half he pulled further away, not content to simply win but intent on producing a clinic so convincing the judges could not deny him.

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Alvarez’s frustration boiled over late. When Crawford landed a jab “Canelo” never saw coming, the Mexican appeared to mutter an obscenity. When “Bud” smashed him with a thudding left, “Canelo” looked stunned, as though he couldn’t believe what had landed.

If Alvarez’s five-fight run from Sergey Kovalev in 2019 through Caleb Plant in 2021 was him at the peak of his powers, his recent stretch told another story — one of careful matchmaking, with names like Edgar Berlanga and William Scull floated instead of genuine threats.

Crawford was meant to be another calculated choice, a marquee name without the size of someone like David Benavidez Jr., who had long emerged as Alvarez’s expected next great rival.

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But “The Mexican Monster” was a rival “Canelo” never chose to box — Benavidez was 6-foot-2, fought with a swarming style, and appeared to put opponents in an increasing world of pain for every additional round they dared to last. He’d beaten Plant, Demetrius Andrade, and eventually went up to light heavyweight once it became apparent “Canelo” was refusing to fight him.

Instead, Crawford may have been a cherry-pick gone wrong.

Against Jermell Charlo in 2023, “Canelo” faced a smaller man who fought as though the will to win had been stripped from him early.

But Crawford is built different. He is the Michael Jordan of modern-day boxing, a generational competitor determined to dominate the very best.

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And that is what exposed Alvarez’s greatest mistake. The legacy fight at super middleweight was always Benavidez. A passing of the torch would have been honorable, even if it meant defeat.

Instead, “Canelo” appeared to swerve it completely. He chose Crawford, and lost to a former champion of a division 33 pounds lighter than his longtime 168-pound home.

For Crawford, it was yet another masterpiece.

For “Canelo,” it was proof that in boxing, sometimes the greatest mistake is not the fight you take — it’s the one you avoid.