Terence Crawford places himself amongst the boxing greats with elegant win over Canelo Alvarez

Terence Crawford stuns Canelo Alvarez to make boxing history

Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford (42-0, 31 KO’s) rewrites boxing history books, becoming the only three-division undisputed champion in the four-belt era, as he delivered a masterclass over Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez (63-3-2, 39 KO’s).

The American jumped up two weight classes to take on the Mexican legend, and in front of 70,000 Alvarez-leaning fans - he put all his doubters to bed as he carved himself a space on boxing’s Mount Rushmore. 

All three judges scored the fight 115-113, with Crawford claiming the historic unanimous decision victory.

The fight was contested on razor-thin margins, with the majority of rounds close, but the American consistently doing enough to swing them in his favour. 

From the opening bell, ‘Bud’ imposed his will on the fight, his footwork and movement too elusive for the stalking Mexican. 

The first test came in round four, with Alvarez landing clean pocket shots to the body; however, the 37-year-old showed no signs of size disadvantage, brushing the blows off and returning clean counters.

Counter punching proved to be the tale of the tape; at times, Canelo looked unable to land without falling victim to a crisp return shot. 

The Mexican certainly had his moments, but the momentum remained against him, with Canelo’s game plan ultimately too one-dimensional to catch the new super-middleweight king off guard. 

Crawford's backfoot boxing mastery was on full display, with his composure evident as he picked his shots expertly, trading when he had to, while smothering Canelo’s ferocious offensive attempts.

Speaking after the fight, ‘Bud’ was quick to thank his dance partner following the spectacular 12-round contest.

Canelo is a great champion,” He stated. “I’ve got to take my hat off to him. He’s a strong competitor. Like I said before, I’ve got nothing but respect for Canelo. I’m a big fan of Canelo and he fought like a champion today.” 

Boxing world reacts

Reacting to the fight, former cruiserweight champion Tony Bellew was full of praise for ‘Bud’ as he reacted to the matchup via X.

"Wow, just wow," Bellew stated.

"When they first mentioned this fight I was laughed at for picking him.

"People want to say he's boring! Nothing boring about pure boxing and perfection.

"Game plan was on point and Bud was exceptional."

 Meanwhile, the former lightweight world champion Ryan Garcia wasted no time in placing his countryman amongst the greatest to ever lace up. 

"I actually believe Crawford may be the best fighter of all time."

Nobody can doubt Crawford’s greatness. The Omaha man remains undefeated, and any doubts over the strength of his resume have all been put to bed in a night that will live long in the memories of boxing fans around the globe.