Saul “Canelo” Alvarez recognized that his body did not allow him to dominate Terence Crawford in Saturday night’s unanimous decision loss at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. “I tried my best, but I couldn’t find his style. Maybe I could have hit him more, but my body didn’t let me,” the Mexican confessed at the post-fight press conference.
Crawford’s elusive style
The 37-year-old based his plan on movement and evasion. He spent long stretches of each round running, making it difficult for Canelo to land clear punches. Only in the last two rounds did he exchange some blows, although without too much effectiveness. The scorecards favored the American 116-112, 115-113 and 115-113, even though Alvarez was the aggressor for most of the fight.
The numbers reflect a close fight. Crawford landed 165 punches out of 558 thrown (33.1%), while Canelo connected 132 out of 465 (36.1%). Although the Mexican was more accurate and threw the more powerful punches, the judges valued Crawford’s volume and ability to avoid prolonged exchanges.
Canelo does not understand the judges’ decision
For Alvarez, his role as the protagonist of the action should have been more recognized. “I was the aggressor, I landed the harder punches and I deserved the victory,” he said. Critics of the fight also pointed out that Crawford’s excessive movement was unfairly rewarded, detracting from the Mexican’s offensive boxing.
I landed the hardest blows, I deserved the victory
Despite the frustration, Canelo did not hesitate to praise his opponent. “He’s a great fighter. He knows how to move and he has it all,” he said. The defeat left the Jalisco native without his undisputed super middleweight championship belts, but he reaffirmed his intention to remain in the elite of boxing and seek revenge in the future.
Read the full article here
