Terence Crawford has proved the doubters wrong. The former two-division undisputed champion moved up two weight classes and outworked Saul “Canelo” Alvarez over 12 rounds to become undisputed champion for a third time in his career.
The early rounds saw Alvarez alternate between attempts to land thudding counterpunches and body shots. Crawford was settled into trying to force the action and put the bigger fighter onto the defense with pressure and shots to the head.
Alvarez continued to focus his attack to the body as the rounds continued to advance. But it was Crawford’s slick boxing and accurate attack that landed upstairs that proved to be the more telling blows as rounds continued to tick by. Crawford found a pattern of sliding around the outside, picking his spots to let his hands go while Alvarez chased him around the perimeter of the ring.
While Alvarez started to land some good shots in Round 4, Crawford’s speed and technique led to him landing some of the fight’s more telling blows, keeping Alvarez on the outside and potshotting while not digging in and taking advantage of his heavier power shots.
As the rounds ticked by, Crawford’s shots began to show on Alvarez’s face. Alvarez tried to stalk and trap Crawford, but nothing Alvarez brought seemed to bother Crawford. Instead, Crawford seemed to be the sharper and more effective boxer, connecting with clean punches as Alvarez was chasing him around the ring.
Round 7 felt as though it was a statement round for Crawford, as he was able to go toe-to-toe with Alvarez and get the better of the exchanges. Without Alvarez dominating the toe-to-toe action, things seemed to be tilting quickly in Crawford’s direction.
An accidental headbutt started the action in Round 9 with Alvarez’s head clashing with Crawford. Despite that, Crawford stuck to his gameplan, landing clean shots and forcing Alvarez to try and find some sort of success as the fight was clearly slipping away.
Alvarez continued to try and chase Crawford in the championship rounds, but it was Crawford landing the more telling blows. When Alvarez landing a solid shot, he was met by a solid combination from Crawford in retaliation.
In the final two rounds, Alvarez tried to press the action, but Crawford was more than up to the task of returning fire. Crawford met Alvarez in the center of the ring and landed the more telling blows between the two.
After the conclusion of 12 rounds, Crawford took a clear decision, winning officially by scores of 116-112. 115-113, 115-113. With the win, Crawford became the first man in boxing history to become undisputed champion in three different weight classes.
“I’d just like to say, thank you,” Crawford said after his victory. “Thank you to all the supporters. To all the haters. I’m happy he gets to make it home to his children, and I get to make it home to my children.”
Crawford did not eliminate the possibility that his victory would the last time fans see him in the ring, saying, “Like I said before, I gotta sit down with my team.”
For Alvarez, the Mexican superstar was upbeat after the fight, saying that taking consistent risks in his career has solidified his place in the sport’s history.
“I feel great,” Alvarez said. “The fact that I’m here already makes me a winner.”
CBS Sports was with you throughout the entire way on Saturday with the live results and highlights below.
Canelo vs. Crawford fight card, odds
- Terence Crawford def. Canelo Alvarez (c) via unanimous decision (116-112, 115-113, 115-113)
- Callum Walsh def. Fernando Vargas Jr. via unanimous decision (99-91, 99-91, 100-90)
- Christian M’billi (c) vs. Lester Martinez ends in a split draw (93-97, 96-94, 95-95)
- Mohammed Alakel def. Travis Crawford via unanimous decision (99-91, 99-91 98-92)
