As the world saw this past Saturday on Netflix, Terence Crawford defeated Canelo Álvarez to become the first boxer ever to be an undisputed world champion in three different weight classes. It serves as a signifier of the uphill battle that Crawford has had to endure since being a kid in Nebraska. The overall theme of the fight comes from the fact that these two boxers were considered the best of their era. Álvarez was coming into the fight with a record of 63-2-2 with 39 by knockout and Crawford was coming into the fight with a record of 42-0 with 31 by knockout. This fight was projected by some to be the pinnacle of boxing within the last decade, and it did not disappoint.
As the day of the fight approached, the significance of the fight was big. There were many interviews with both parties through their respective camps and representatives. There were advertisements, weigh-ins and trash talking between the two boxers. Crawford was undefeated and had moved up two weight classes over the course of a year to challenge Álvarez for the undisputed middleweight title. Álvarez was riding a six-fight winning streak coming in and had only suffered two losses in his entire career, the first being to Floyd Mayweather in 2015 and the second being to Dmitry Bivol at light heavyweight in 2022. The two men were some of the most famous boxers in the world and it was set up to be a legendary bout. Some people, before the fight even took place, were saying that if Crawford won this fight, it might have made him better than Mayweather.
Although the media was set in stone about the battle, Crawford was actually the underdog in the matchup. According to a study conducted by Yahoo Sports, Álvarez was favored -160 to Crawford’s +145. It just goes to show that even in a fight where both are considered the best in their class, it’s hard to pick a clear winner. However, many people, including boxing experts, predicted that this fight would go a long way and possibly even into the 12th round. As time continued to pass, everyone was waiting for the fight of the century to take place.
The date that the fight took place was Sept. 13, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. So much time had passed until fans were finally able to get the fight that they were wishing for so badly. Some time had passed before we were able to get to the Álvarez-Crawford main event, and it was one for the ages. It started out pretty well for Álvarez as he was more aggressive throughout the first two rounds of the fight. The third round was evenly drawn as shown with punch count and stamina, although Álvarez did land a powerful punch in the beginning of the round that knocked Crawford around. The fourth and fifth rounds were pretty even, with a pretty strong effort from both in terms of stamina and punches thrown. Shortly after the sixth round, things started to sway in one direction.
Crawford began to land more punches, and to fight more conservatively and defensively while Álvarez was still trying to keep the offense going, but the effort to continue to drag on was making him tired. It caught up to Crawford as well, but he was able to right the ship quicker than Álvarez could. Shortly after the seventh round is when it started to become clear that Crawford was going to win the bout. He landed more punches than Álvarez at 165-132, had higher power accuracy and had an even or higher round score in each of the last three rounds such as 10, 11 and 12. As the fight ended, the two boxers embraced in center stage and gave each other the respect that they deserved. It became clear after the decision: Crawford had defeated Álvarez for the undisputed middleweight title of the world.
We had seen an explosion in media coverage and revenue for this bout, and for good reason. This was marketed as the “battle of the century” and had many great moments throughout.
Furthermore, the purse for this matchup was extremely high. Álvarez apparently made $100 million for the fight and Crawford apparently made $10 million. Crawford, however, said that he was not doing this battle to make money, but rather to cement his legacy against an excellent boxer. It goes to show in this world that although they can be rare, there are many people out there that do the craft because they love it and aren’t always in it for a check. It is projected that Álvarez might retire, however he has said that he does not yet have a decision.
In summary, the bout between Álvarez and Crawford brought about many moments that will be talked about a lot throughout boxing history. One must ask the question, since Crawford is now 42-0 with 31 knockouts on his record along with holding a championship in five weight classes, “is Terence Crawford the greatest boxer of all time?”