Canelo Alvarez suffered the third defeat of a 68-fight campaign this weekend at the Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, surrendering his undisputed super-middleweight championship to Terence Crawford.
Canelo stepped through the ropes a favourite to retain his belts, though many in the boxing world had backed the upset given the challenger’s elite talent.
Moving up two divisions from his last outing – a points win over Israil Madrimov in August 2024 – Crawford boxed strictly to showcase his own vast skillset whilst nullifying that of Canelo.
Canelo looked dangerous early and stalked Crawford around the ring, but as the fight progressed and the American got into a groove, the champion appeared to tire and let frustration seep in. The scoring judges at ringside called it 116-112, 115-113 and 115-113 after twelve.
At the post-fight press conference, Canelo did not protest the outcome, rather admitted defeat.
“We knew Crawford is a great fighter. I did what I was supposed to do. I tried every way, I trained really hard. He deserves all the credit. I tried my best and I couldn’t figure out the style. He has everything.”
What comes next remains to be seen. A rematch is a possibility, however it is not a fight Crawford needs. The five-weight champion from Omaha may instead look to drop down to middleweight – the one gap in his title-winning run up the divisions – to create yet more legacy. Both men appear keen on fighting on at this stage.
