The long-awaited fight took place, Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford put on a show, with a fight as expected: a duel of styles with two ring strategists with extensive experience.
However, with speed and versatility, Crawford prevailed over a Canelo who did not manage to measure up, thus taking the victory by unanimous decision at the Allegiant Stadium.
Terence Crawford was the winner of the fight and worthy of the super middleweight belts, but he decided to give them back on the same night. An act as a show of respect and sportsmanship towards Saul Alvarez.
Who won between Canelo and Crawford?
The fight was dominated by Crawford from start to finish. With his precise technique, mobility and adaptability, “Bud” managed to clearly prevail on the judges’ scorecards.
Canelo, despite his experience and strength in the division, could not contain the pace or strategy of the American. However, the surprises continued even after the fight.
Why did Crawford return the belts to Canelo?
In boxing, there is an unwritten tradition: new champions allow the former champion to hold their belts one last time at the post-fight conference. In this way, the defeated fighter’s career and reign is honored.
That’s exactly what Terence Crawford did. He showed up at Canelo’s press conference, walked up with the belts and handed them over, explaining that he will soon receive his own official titles from the organization. The gesture was interpreted as a clear show of respect and recognition for the Mexican’s career, who for years established himself as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world.
Far from meaning that Crawford was giving up his victory, it shows that these two fighters are adversaries in the ring, but colleagues outside it.
How did Terence Crawford beat Canelo Alvarez?
The key to the fight was Crawford‘s strategy. Known for his ability to switch between orthodox and southpaw stances, he revealed that he initially thought of fighting in the traditional way. However, his trainer advised him to fight in a southpaw style, which threw Canelo off.
“I’ve always trained with bigger guys; the smaller guys I intimidated. I used to work on my defense. Fighting at a heavier weight, without having to lose so much, helped me. I wanted to go out with the orthodox stance, but my trainers said that the southpaw would kill him. That’s what we did tonight,”Crawford said after the victory.
With that decision, Crawford neutralized the Mexican’s wide hooks and took advantage of his speed and accuracy to make the difference, while making it clear that moving up from his division did not take its toll, “Bud” became the new king of the 168 pounds and a worthy winner of the fight.
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