Terrence “Bud” Crawford shocked the world on Sunday (PH time), after dismantling undisputed Super-Middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez by unanimous decision in Las Vegas.
Crawford (42-0) became the first male fighter in the four-belt era to become undisputed in three weight classes, while Alvarez (63-3-2) tasted defeat for the third time in his career and relinquished his Super-Middleweight titles.
The fight was a chess match in the first six rounds until the now-undisputed Super-Middleweight champion seized the momentum after blasting 2-3 combinations to a seemingly-puzzled Alvarez.
Crawford flashed smiles at Canelo in between rounds and never seemed to get uncomfortable with the weight, as the Mexican could not get anything going with his lead hooks.
The judges unanimously awarded the fight to Crawford, 115-113. 115-113, and 116-112, but the scorecards did not reflect the dominance of Bud’s relentless boxing.
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Canelo took time at the post-fight press conference to praise Bud, saying he couldn’t figure out the Omaha native’s switch-hitting style.
“We knew Crawford is a great fighter … I tried my best tonight, and I just couldn’t figure out the style. You need to take the loss and accept everything,” Canelo said. “Sometimes you try and your body cannot go. That’s my frustration … my body just didn’t let me go any more.”
The Mexican legend continued his praise, stating that Crawford was better than the fighter who took his unbeaten record in 2013, the retired Floyd Mayweather.
“I think Crawford is way better than Floyd Mayweather,” he said.
However, Crawford, who is on pace to match Mayweather’s flawless 50-0 record, humbly stressed that the former 15-time world champion was the greatest fighter in his era and that comparisons between them were unnecessary.
“Floyd was the greatest in his era. I’m the greatest in my era. It ain’t no need to compare me to Floyd or Floyd to me,” he said.
Boxing world reacts
The boxing world reacted as Crawford seized the Super-Middleweight crown to become one of boxing’s pound-for-pounders, while also criticizing Canelo’s subpar and flat-footed performance.
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Teddy Atlas
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