Terence Crawford has cemented his status as one of the greatest fighters in boxing history after outclassing Canelo Alvarez in Las Vegas to become a three-weight undisputed champion against all the odds.
Despite jumping up three divisions from his natural 147lbs weight class, and taking on the long-serving king at super middleweight, Crawford boxed rings around his bulkier opponent in a sensational display of pugilism that earned him a unanimous decision on the scorecards (116-112, 115-113, 115-113).
The fighting pride of Omaha, Nebraska was the slicker of the two as expected but he also punched with spite throughout. If you tuned in for this fight with no context, it would have been impossible to detect that he was the lighter man.
This was a performance for the ages from Crawford, who took firm control from the fifth round and never looked back.
Even at the start of the ninth round, when both men stood in the center of the ring and exchanged vicious blows up close, it was the natural welterweight who got the better of it.
If he wasn’t beaten already, at this stage Canelo surely had the grim realization that his superior power and strength would not be the difference.
Terence Crawford outclassed Canelo Alvarez to become a three-weight undisputed champion
The Omaha fighter produced a dazzling display to dethrone Canelo up at super middleweight
He was a clear victor in Las Vegas, prevailing thanks to a 116-112 score and two 115-113 verdicts
Canelo was a shadow of his former self on a miserable night for the now ex-undisputed king
The great Mexican, whose best days are well and truly behind him after this one-sided loss at the hands of a fighter who belongs three divisions below him, was a shadow of his former self in Sin City, a location where he has enjoyed so many nights of glory over the years.
Crawford was quite simply on another level at the Allegiant Stadium. Many had doubted him after an underwhelming win over Israil Madrimov at 154lbs. How would he stand up to the brute force of a man who tips the scales 14 points heavier than the tricky Uzbek?
He answered that puzzling question with overwhelming brilliance, slowly picking his heavier foe apart in the first half of the contest before well and truly taking over in the second.
That is not to say that Canelo did not enjoy offensive success on the night. The four-division world champion landed chopping blows throughout, particularly in the earlier rounds. Yet those chopping blows were simply dusted off by Crawford.
The prefight underdog walked right through them and often fired back with his own lightning combinations. They may not have hurt Canelo, who has tasted heavier hands in the past, but they stopped him in his tracks and knocked him off balance on frequent occasions.
Make no mistake, this was a boxing masterclass. The two verdicts of 115-113, a mere one-round difference, remain farcical despite ultimately proving meaningless. Canelo should not have been that close to walking away with a share of the spoils.
Terence Crawford already boasted a legacy as one of the greatest of his era heading into this clash of the titans. Now, he stands tall amongst the greatest of any era, of any weight. As the first ever men’s three-weight undisputed king, he is a true pound-for-pound master.
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