Terence Crawford stepped into the ring at Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, and made boxing history on September 13. The American fighter squared off against Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez and emerged victorious, defeating the Mexican icon by unanimous decision. Crawford stripped Canelo of his undisputed super middleweight champion status, handing him the third loss of his career.
Before facing Canelo, Crawford boasted a slick record with 42 fights and 31 knockouts. At 38 years old, he retired undefeated after claiming a win that left a significant mark on both fighters' legacies.
The judges scored the fight with numbers that told its own story: 116-112 and two scores of 115-113 in favor of Crawford. This resulted in Canelo losing his WBC, WBA, IBF, and WBO belts.
Reflecting on his win during an interview with streamer Adin Ross, Crawford admitted he anticipated more resistance from Canelo. In his words:
"I'm not going to lie, I did think it would be harder (the fight vs. Canelo Alvarez). When I got in there and started to feel him, I said, 'OK, I got it.' First round, second round, I thought, 'OK,' he wasn't throwing punches at me, we weren't exchanging anything."
Crawford further explained how he handled Canelo's tactics as the fight progressed.
"The only thing he was trying to do was to press me more and more, but if he did that I was going to counter him. And that's the situation...”
Despite many counting him out early on due to his age and the challenge ahead of him, Crawford remained composed.
"Nobody said I was going to hit him or that I was going to hurt him or things like that..."
Taking place in Allegiant Stadium—home of the Las Vegas Raiders—the event offered fans a spectacle they won’t soon forget. With victory over such a decorated opponent as Alvarez now secured, Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford retires on a high note few can parallel.
