Terence Crawford has become the undisputed super middleweight champion after a thrilling victory over Canelo Alvarez.
Moving up two weight classes to chase greatness, Crawford pulled off the daring feat in a blockbuster championship boxing match that served as the headliner at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. The Netflix-broadcast event co-promoted by UFC CEO Dana White and chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, Turki Alalshikh, saw the two boxing greats go toe-to-toe for 12 rounds.
When the dust settled, Crawford (42-0) was announced the winner over Canelo (63-3-2) with unanimous scores of 116-112, 115-113 and 115-113. Crawford now holds the super middleweight WBC, WBA, WBO, IBF and Ring Magazine titles.
From the start of the fight, it was clear that Crawford was going to be willing to go first and fire punches in bunches to keep Canelo honest. Utilizing his speed and movement on the outside, Crawford was able to implement a stellar gameplan that caused Canelo to follow him around the ring.
It wasn’t all Crawford throughout the fight, however. Canelo certainly had his moments by landing big power shots. However, the difference maker was the volume and willingness to jab, which Crawford utilized brilliantly throughout the course of the fight.
Neither fighter was hurt at any point in the fight, and there were no knockdowns, but the heated exchanges that occurred kept the crowd on the edge of their seat, especially in Round 9.
If style points were a factor, that edge also went to Crawford. After a few rounds, Crawford appeared to be fully comfortable with how the fight was unfolding, as he started to let a smile show on his face while exchanging with Canelo.
The official judges were unanimously in agreement that Crawford was the better fighter on the night, crowning a new undisputed champion at 168 pounds.
During their in-ring post-fight interviews, neither fighter appeared to know what would come next. Crawford, 37, thanked all of his supporters and his haters in the build to the event. Canelo, 35, said he was fine with the result and appeared to take the loss with a positive outlook. He acknowledged it was a big risk to take this fight, but had no regrets.
Full Canelo vs. Crawford results
- Terence Crawford def. Canel Alvarez via unanimous decision (116-112, 115-113, 115-113) – for WBC, WBA, WBO, IBF titles
- Callum Walsh def. Fernando Vargas Jr. via unanimous decision (99-91, 99-91, 100-90)
- Christian Mbilli vs. Lester Martinez ruled a split draw (93-97, 96-94, 95-95) – for interim WBC title
- Mohammed Alakel def. Travis Crawford via unanimous decision (99-91, 99-91, 98-92)
- Brandon Adams def. Serhii Bohachuk via unanimous decision (99-91, 98-92, 98-92)
- Jermaine Franklin Jr. def. Ivan Dychko via unanimous decision (96-93, 95-94, 97-92)
- Reito Tsutsumi def. Javier Martinez via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 2:18
- Sultan Almohammed def. Martin Caraballo via unanimous decision (40-36, 40-36, 40-36)
- Raiko Santana def. Steven Nelson via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 2:38
- Marco Verde def. Sona Akale via TKO (punches) – Round 4, 1:11
