A historic, legendary, absolutely epochal achievement. There are hardly words lofty enough to describe what Terence Crawford did at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. The American superstar, moving up two weight classes, defeated unified super middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez on points, preserving his unbeaten record. This marks the fifth division in which “Bud” has climbed to the top of the world. These were the judges’ scorecards, all in favor of the challenger: 116–112, 115–113, 115–113.
As expected, the fight opened with an extended feeling-out process. Neither man wanted to give away an edge, so feints and footwork were more frequent than clean punches landed.
Very little happened in the first three rounds. Crawford lulled the action in the first and third with his footwork, while in the second Canelo landed a few uppercuts to the body—not particularly powerful, but enough to get him into the fight.
From the fourth round on, the pace finally increased. Aware of how risky it would be to leave too many rounds “up for grabs” in Las Vegas, a city that has often given Alvarez generous verdicts, the challenger planted his feet and accepted exchanges, and the spectacle immediately improved. Canelo, however, rose to the change of rhythm, landing several telling blows in the latter part of the round.
The champion applied controlled pressure, relying mostly on single shots and aiming for the body more than the head, likely to drain his opponent’s gas tank. Crawford, meanwhile, moved expertly on his feet and threw at a higher volume, though without loading up with particular venom.
At the halfway mark, the bout still had no clear owner, with many rounds that could have gone either way. On this writer’s card, Canelo held a slight edge, but nothing was decided.
The balance continued for another couple of rounds: Crawford looked better in the seventh, despite absorbing two brutal body shots, while Canelo took the eighth with sharper aggression and greater effectiveness. Then, just when it seemed the fight would coast to the final bell without much drama, everything changed.
Bud shook things up early in the ninth with a spectacular flurry that caught Canelo completely unprepared. The Mexican tried to answer immediately, but when he couldn’t, he grew frustrated, dropped his head dangerously while trapping Crawford on the ropes, and forced the referee to step in with a brief pause.
The rest of the round was quieter, but that sudden burst from Crawford—fighting with no hesitation for the first time—was a sign he could sense the moment to take control.
Soon after, the champion began showing more obvious signs of fatigue, missing wildly on several occasions, while Bud steadily raised his output with every passing minute.
The last two rounds from Terence Crawford were sensational, breathtaking, unforgettable. They’re called “championship rounds” because in close fights they usually decide the outcome and because great champions always find a way to win them. Bud took them emphatically, decisively, and dominantly, even engaging in close-range exchanges multiple times.
Such a commanding finish in a fight filled with swing rounds had to sway the scorecards to the challenger’s side, and so it did: one judge had him four points up, the other two by two points each, the same margin this writer recorded.
While it must be admitted that Canelo’s athletic decline, already apparent in recent bouts, was evident again tonight, Terence Crawford nonetheless accomplished a feat that will go down in boxing history.
Making a two-division leap, he—who started as a lightweight and was naturally a welterweight in his prime—took home four world titles at once, and did so at nearly 38 years of age (he turns later this month). This victory recalls, among others, Sugar Ray Leonard over Marvin Hagler, Michael Spinks over Larry Holmes, and Bernard Hopkins over Antonio Tarver. Triumphs achieved by men far beyond the ordinary, defying boxing’s traditional logic.