On Sunday morning in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States, American professional boxer Terence Crawford secured a unanimous decision victory over reigning undisputed super-middleweight champion Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez, thereby effecting a significant upset in the sport of professional boxing.
The contest, which proceeded through the full twelve scheduled rounds, reflected Crawford’s dominance in the early stages, during which he controlled the first seven rounds, notwithstanding Álvarez’s resurgence in the latter portion of the bout.
At the conclusion of the match, the panel of judges rendered official scorecards of 116-112, 115-113, and 115-113 in favor of Crawford.
Crawford (42-0), who ascended two weight divisions to undertake this contest, thereby achieved a historic milestone: he became the first male boxer in the four-belt era to obtain undisputed champion status in three distinct weight categories. According to The New York Times, Crawford has now held all four recognized championship titles at light-welterweight, welterweight, and super-middleweight.
The undefeated champion’s latest achievement adds Álvarez to an already distinguished roster of defeated opponents, which includes Errol Spence Jr., Shawn Porter, and Kell Brook.
During a post-bout interview with a representative of Netflix, Terence Crawford reflected on his victory and expressed respect for his opponent. In his words:
“Canelo is a great champion. I have nothing but respect for him and he fought like a champion today.”
When questioned as to his future intentions within the sport, Crawford stated:
“Like I said before, I don’t know. I’ll sit down with my team and talk about it. I’d just like to say: thank you. Thank you to all of my supporters and all of my haters. I appreciate all of you. Shout out to everybody who came to support Canelo and I’m happy that he gets to make it home to his children.”
In a corresponding interview with the same reporter, Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez, though defeated, remained magnanimous and affirmed his pride in his professional career. He remarked:
“I’m a winner for being here. There is no defeat here. I take risks and that’s what I have done.”
On the subject of a potential rematch, Álvarez added:
“I feel great to share the ring with great fighters like him. If we do it again it will be great. I already accomplished a lot in boxing and my legacy is already there, so I take risks because I like boxing. I feel great, I feel strong. Crawford is a great fighter, a skilled fighter and I have to give the credit to him.”#newsafro_
