Terence “Bud” Crawford made history on Saturday night in Las Vegas, outpointing Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez by a unanimous decision to become the undisputed super-middleweight champion of the world.
Before a crowd of more than 70,000 at Allegiant Stadium – the largest boxing attendance in Las Vegas history – Crawford, 37, defied the size gap and years of doubt to beat Mexico’s biggest star across 12 rounds. The official scores were 116-112, 115-113 and 115-113, all for Crawford.
Already the first man of the four-belt era to unify titles in two weight classes, Crawford now adds a third, vaulting from generational talent into the sport’s all-time pantheon.
Crawford started quickly, boxing out of a southpaw stance and working behind his jab. He matched Canelo’s early body shots, then began to find openings upstairs. By the middle rounds he was out-landing and out-thinking the defending champion, snapping Álvarez’s head back with sharp counters while using his reach and lateral movement to stay out of danger.
Canelo had moments, particularly to the body, but he struggled to cut off the ring or adjust. As the fight wore on, Crawford’s grew more emboldened, landing crisp combinations and even standing in the pocket to trade. In the championship rounds, the American was in total command, smiling as he picked off Canelo’s increasingly desperate attacks.
“Canelo is a great champio,” Crawford said in the ring afterward. “I’ve got to take my hat off to him. Hes 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.”
Asked about his future, Crawford was noncommittal. “I don’t know,” he said. “I’ve got to sit down with my team and talk about it. I’d just like to say thank you to all the supporters, thank you to all the haters. I appreciate all of y’all.”
For Álvarez, 35, it was only the third defeat of a storied 64-fight career. The four-division champion had been entrenched at 168lb for nearly seven years, but on this night was at times made to look ordinary by Crawford’s speed and timing.
This is a developing story. More to follow.
