Terence Crawford (42-0, 31 KOs) used constant movement and pinpoint shots to win a narrow 12-round unanimous decision over undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez (63-3-2, 39 KOs) in their legacy fight on Saturday night in front of a crowd of 70,482 fans at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
It was the exact fight that many fans had predicted from the Omaha, Nebraska native Crawford, with him moving a lot in each round, jabbing, and keeping Canelo from getting to him. The Mexican star was the aggressor throughout and landed a lot of body shots when he would close the distance on Crawford.
In the sixth, Crawford had arguably his best round when he landed a left hand that caught Canelo coming in. That was really all Crawford did in the round, but it was enough to win it because he used movement to stall out the remainder of the time to keep Canelo from getting to him.
That was a strategy that Terence used throughout most of the fight. He’d land a good shot and then use movement to stall the remainder of the round, so that the only good shot was his. It’s called keep away.
The judges’ scores
- 116-112
- 115-113
- 115-113
After the fight, Crawford, 37, was noncommittal about whether he’d be interested in a rematch with Canelo when asked. He said he was going to talk to his team to decide whether to fight Canelo or anyone at all. It would likely also come down to what Turki Alalshikh wants to do. He paid both fighters a lot of money for this fight.
“If we do it again, it’s going to be great. I give the credit to Crawford. I feel great,” said Canelo about whether he’d be open to fighting Crawford again.
It’s hard to imagine Crawford agreeing to a second fight with Canelo unless he’s given a pay increase from the $50 million he made tonight. Turki would need to decide whether it’s worth it to pay for a second fight. It wasn’t the most entertaining to watch. In comparison to the undercard clash between Christian Mbilli and Lester Martinez, it was dull.
Canelo said he’s interested in fighting Crawford again. Again, that’ll come down to what Turki wants to do. There are more exciting fights that Turki could make involving either fighter. For Crawford, you have to put him in with someone who cuts off the ring and throws a lot of punches. Canelo didn’t do a great job of that tonight.
These fighters would be ideal for Crawford:
- David Benavidez
- Artur Beterbiev
- David Morrell
- Osleys Iglesias
