Saturday was a historic night for boxing in a many ways. Yes, it was the debut of Zuffa Boxing under the TKO banner, but it was also a clash between two titans of the sport of boxing.
Canelo Alvarez, who had been accused of ducking some more deserving contenders in the last few years, was finally facing a consensus top3 pound-for-pound fighter. On the other hand, the undefeated Terence “Bud” Crawford was going up several weight divisions in an attempt to cement his place in boxing history. After being widely regarded as one of, if not the best boxer on Earth, Crawford was finally getting the big money fight he felt the sport of boxing owed him.
It was going to be interesting to see whether or not Canelo still had enough competitive fire within himself to defeat a Crawford who was coming in with a chip on his shoulder. Would Crawford’s power carry up to 168lbs? Would he be able to take Canelo’s shots? How would Crawford carry this extra weight into the championship rounds? Would it hinder his movement? This fight was filled with question marks, which only fueled the fan interest in the matchup.
Official Result: Terence Crawford def. Canelo Alvarez by Unanimous Decision (116-112, 115-113, 115-113)
First off, let’s make something very clear: the fight delivered. It wasn’t some uninteresting point fight or some squash match, the fight was an action-filled back-and-forth. The tone was set right from the start as Crawford’s speed advantage was noticeable. Without a rehydration clause, Canelo Alvarez definitely looked like the bigger fighter of the two, but not the extent that some had imagined. Canelo tried to bully Crawford, but Bud was having none of it. The Mexican had trouble finding the American throughout the bout. One of Canelo’s signature shots is his left hook to the body, which helps him slow down his opponent’s movement. However, Bud clearly did his homework as he was constantly setting his feet and making Canelo pay for every body hook he threw. Every time Canelo tried to hit Crawford to the body, Crawford would immediately answer with a snappy combination. Canelo’s chin was on full display the entire fight, as he took shots that Crawford has floored people with in the past.
About midway through the contest, as Canelo had Crawford focused on defending his body, he started finding opportunities to land some solid right straights upstairs. The American answered one of the main question marks heading into this contest: would he be able to take Canelo’s shots two divisions up? Yes, he could. You could sense Canelo’s growing frustration in the second half of the fight as Crawford was getting more and more comfortable. The commentary voiced some worry that this comfort could cost Crawford as he stopped respecting Canelo’s power. Ultimately, Crawford stayed defensively sound and Canelo never managed to land his power shots with any type of consistency that would lead to a fight altering moment.
As the final buzzer sounded, Crawford raised both of his hands while Canelo walked away Both fighters knew what the Omaha product had just accomplished. Canelo is a daunting task for anyone to face for several reasons, but in part because he pairs his insane chin with a history of favourable judges’ scorecards. How do you beat someone who seemingly cannot get knocked out and sees every remotely close round go his way? You need to put on such a good performance that you become undeniable. That’s something Dmitry Bivol managed to pull off, but the difference is Bivol was the heavier fighter welcoming Canelo to his weight class. Tonight, Crawford was the one going up two weight classes in an attempt to pull off the same thing. It’s a monumental accomplishment, to say the least. So much of Bud’s legacy hinged on this night and he fought like a man unafraid of the moment. These were two of the very best this generation has had to offer and we saw Crawford cement himself as perhaps the greatest one. Even with Naoya Inoue fighting just a few hours later, Crawford will likely take the number one spot on most pound-for-pound lists come Monday.
Coming into this fight, there was risk on both sides. Had Canelo won, people might have downplayed the victory, claiming that he was supposed to win. He was the much bigger fighter and that was the main reason he agreed to this fight as he’s been avoiding tougher challenges lately. As for Bud, had he lost, people would’ve claimed he couldn’t handle the moment in the biggest fight of his career. His only loss would’ve came against the “only good fighter he’s ever faced”. It’s a good thing the fight played out in a way that sees both fighters exiting with their heads held up high. Crawford pulled off the impossible, while Canelo still showed he’s a force to be reckoned with. He’s clearly passed his prime, but he’s not washed. The Mexican looked dangerous out there and would still be favoured to beat the vast majority of super middleweights.
I mentioned how there were question marks coming into this fight, but there are just as many now that the fight is over. Will the soon-to-be 38-year-old Crawford retire? It’s unclear at this moment in time. He said he had to sit down with his team and figure out what’s next. Comments that can be read as keeping the door open for a rematch. But if this was the last night we saw Terence “Bud” Crawford make the walk to the ring, it was one for the ages. He finally got a his big money fight and he used it to showcase his immense talent to the mainstream audience.
