Terence Crawford Defeats Canelo Alvarez

LAS VEGAS — Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and Terence Crawford went the 12-round distance in a TKO Boxing and Dana White-promoted event held at the 65,000-capacity Allegiant Stadium on Saturday, the 13th of September.

The bout brought together two of the sport’s top pound-for-pound performers in the modern era and, after a 10-fight card appeared to over-run, with many of the preliminary bouts and main card fights going to decision, so, too, did the fight for the undisputed super middleweight world championship. And the winner couldn’t have been clearer.

Terence Crawford Defeats Canelo Alvarez

After a few feeling-out rounds, Crawford really came alive in the fourth, beating Canelo to the punch, and asserting his authority on the fight from the southpaw stance. The Mexican bruiser appeared to hit Crawford back with a powerful punch but all it was met with was a smile from ‘Bud.’

There were exchanges where both men had at least one foot inside the Riyadh Season’s circled logo, but used footwork and feints to avoid one another’s shots while firing back their own. Before even the midway point a clear difference in speed could be seen, with Canelo struggling to keep up with Crawford, and getting popped, repeatedly, in the nose in the process.

Then, in the seventh, Crawford stepped it up and started putting his punches in bunches. Considering Crawford was rising from effectively the welterweight division, having only boxed once at super welterweight, he looked extremely comfortable in his super middleweight debut. His southpaw jab, combined with his counter-punching, confounded Canelo in the fight.

Canelo’s best shot was the left hook to the body but he wasn’t throwing, or landing it enough, to take the wind out of Crawford’s sails.

But then Crawford had his best moment in the ninth, throwing shot after shot at each side of Canelo’s head, turning the jeers from earlier into cheers, as the partisan crowd was powerless to not accept that their favorite fighter’s oppoonent was displaying a similar level of greatness that had finished Errol Spence Jr two years ago in one of the all-time great thrashings at 147 pounds. But this fight was at 168 — making it another extraordinary showing. Pap, pap, pap — that’s Crawford popping his jab into Canelo’s mouth.

After 12 rounds of boxing, veteran ring announcer Michael Buffer announced two scores of 115-113 and one of 116-112, in favor of Crawford, via unanimous decision.

More to follow…