Terence Crawford beat Canelo Alvarez in a super-middleweight championship fight on September 13 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Crawford won by unanimous decision, with scores of 116-112 and 115-113 twice.
The fight drew 70,000 spectators to watch Crawford move up two weight divisions to challenge for Alvarez's WBC, WBA, WBO, and IBF super-middleweight titles. Crawford controlled the pace of the fight with precision and composure, delivering a masterclass in strategy and skill over 10 rounds.
With this win, Crawford became the first boxer in the four-belt era to become undisputed champion in three weight classes. It's the biggest night of the 37-year-old American's career, both in terms of achievement and payday.
After the fight, Crawford showed tremendous respect for his opponent. He returned Alvarez's belts to him, explaining:
"Those are his titles. It's all respect. I got a lot, a ton of respect for Canelo. I'm a fan of Canelo... I wanted to be the one to give him back his belts."
Officially, Alvarez retains the titles in the records, with new belts being created for Crawford.
Alvarez was visibly emotional after the fight, embracing his wife and daughter in the locker room. He acknowledged Crawford's talent, even remarking that Crawford is superior to Floyd Mayweather Jr., who handed Alvarez his previous notable loss.
Crawford praised Alvarez in his post-fight comments:
"Canelo is a great champion. I have to take my hat off to him, he's a strong competitor and I have nothing but respect for him. He fought like a champion."
When asked about his future plans, Crawford said:
"I don't know [of retirement], I've got to sit down with my team and we're going to talk about it."
He also expressed gratitude to his supporters and critics alike:
"I just want to say thank you to all of the supporters, thank you to all the haters, I appreciate every one of you all. You made this a great event."
Despite the defeat, Alvarez maintained a humble perspective and indicated he has no plans to retire, still feeling passionate about the sport.
This fight will go down as a defining moment in both fighters' careers, showcasing not only their skills in the ring but also their sportsmanship and mutual respect outside of it.
