Terence Crawford achieved a unanimous victory over Saul “Canelo” Alvarez to become the undisputed super middleweight champion on Saturday in an exciting game at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Crawford set the pace from the start with a measured display that showed its incredible hand speed and precise footwork, while the jury members scored the fight 116-112, 115-113 and 115-113 for the American.
The victory made Crawford the first male boxer to be crowned an undisputed champion in three different weight classes.
“I am not here by chance. Canelo is a big champion, I have to take my hat for him. He is a big competitor and I have a lot of respect for him. He fought as a champion,” said Crawford, who was in tears after his victory was announced.
Asked if he would fight again, he said: “I don’t know, I have to sit down with my team and we will talk about it.
“I want to thank you for all supporters and the haters. I appreciate you all. Shout at my fans and those who support Canelo. We can go home to our children.”
With Alvarez and Crawford, both of which are recognized in the past as the world’s best pound-for-pound boxers, the fight always promised to be a boxing masters class.
The couple gave an entertaining battle with the more than 70,000 people present and millions on Netflix look with held breath in the 12-round showcase.
Crawford, a former undisputed champion in both light welterweight and good weight, as well as a world champion with four division, got two weight classes before the competition.
He tilted the scales on a career-high 167.5 pounds (75.98 kg) at the weighting on Friday, exactly the same as Alvarez, but that step did not seem to influence his mobility.
Balancing Act
Crawford was well aware of the superior power of his opponent and was the better boxer for a large part of the fighting and neutralized the attack of Alvarez professionally with a treacherous balancing practice.
The 37-year-old maintained his distance while he flashed in and out of danger and had blows of struggling to land on his opponent. Alvarez put the metogue attack of the smaller boxer on the rear.
The Mexican champion connected to a few Body Shots early, but after he had been selected the entire half, he threw caution on the wind and rejected brutal strength in search of a knockout.
That knockout never came.
If there was something, Crawford only trusted in confidence, destroying combinations landed and absorbed all the bumps that sneak through his guard while he improved his record to 42-0 (31 Kos) and kept his remarkably unbeaten stripe alive.
For Alvarez there was even proud of the defeat.
“I am a winner because I am here. The fact that I am here makes me a winner. I take risks and that is what I did,” said the 35-year-old.
“I feel great to share the ring with great hunters like him. If we do it again, it will be great. I have already achieved a lot in boxing. My estate is already there and I love risks because I love boxing.”
On the Undercard, Callum Walsh van Ireland Fernando Vargas JR defeated, while super middle weights Christian Mbilli and Lester Martinez delivered a Slugfest that ended in a draw.
