Terence “Bud” Crawford cemented his legacy with a statement-making performance on Saturday night from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Crawford defeated Canelo Alvarez via unanimous decision, taking away his undisputed super middleweight titles in the process.
The three judges scored the fight 116-112 and 115-113×2. I had it 117-111 for Crawford during my live blog. Here’s some highlights from the mega event that was streamed on Netflix.
After the victory, the fight world erupted with reactions, paying their respects to Crawford’s all-time performance.
Crawford’s ability to take Canelo’s punch was the first major factor. Many expected Bud to wilt the first time the Mexican legend landed cleanly. While Crawford’s defense was sound all night, some straight rights did creep through. Crawford took them with little issue and gave back plenty in return.
The second factor was hand speed on the inside. Crawford’s hands were faster which allowed him to win the close exchanges. By the time Canelo was ready to fire back, Crawford hand ended the flurry and it kept forcing his opponent to re-establish a position of attack.
Lastly, Crawford’s jab–to the body and stomach–were a rhythm disruptor for Canelo through the first half of the fight. It was simply foundation for the masterpiece.
Here’s a look at the official scorecards.
For Crawford, he could walk away, but chances are he won’t. If he did make somewhere near $10 million for his fight with Canelo, he is still in line for a mega payday of sorts. It may be hard for him to walk away from that. However, Crawford has always marched to the beat of his own drum. I’d love to see him retire as he’ll never accomplish anything that tops this feat. He is legitimately the greatest of his era.
For Canelo, he is still under contract with Riyadh Season. He could retire, but there is still a lot of money left on the table for him. He could also go up to 175 pounds. I’d like to see him walk away as well. It would be a shame to see his legacy tarnished by fighting too long after he’s already beyond wealthy.
Here’s a look at all the results from the card.
- Main Event – Undisputed & Ring Magazine Super Middleweight Championship (168 lbs), 12 Rounds
Terence Crawford def. Canelo Alvarez via unanimous decision (116-112, 115-113×2) - Co-Main – Super Welterweight Bout (154 lbs), 10 Rounds
Callum Walsh def. Fernando Vargas Jr. via unanimous decision (100-90, 99-91×2) - WBC Super Middleweight Interim World Championship (168 lbs), 10 Rounds
Christian Mbilli vs. Lester Martinez – Split Draw - Lightweight Bout (133 lbs), 10 Rounds
Mohammed Alakel def. Travis Crawford via unanimous decision (99-91×2, 98-92)
Prelims
- Middleweight Bout (156 lbs), 10 Rounds
Brandon Adams def. Serhii Bohachuk via unanimous decision - Heavyweight Bout, 10 Rounds
Jermaine Franklin Jr. def. Ivan Dychko via unanimous decision (96-93, 97-92, 95-94) - Super Featherweight Bout (130 lbs), 6 Rounds
Reito Tsutsumi def. Javier Martinez via TKO1 - Super Lightweight Bout (134 lbs), 4 Rounds
Sultan Almohammed def. Martin Caraballo via unanimous decision (40-36×3) - Light Heavyweight Bout (172 lbs), 10 Rounds
Raiko Santana def. Steven Nelson via TKO1 - Super Middleweight Bout (162 lbs), 6 Rounds
Marco Verde def. Sona Akale via TKO4
