Terence Crawford dismantles Canelo Alvarez to capture his historic aim

Terence Crawford, right, punches Canelo Alvarez during an undisputed super middleweight championship boxing match in Las Vegas, Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025. Photo by: ASSOCIATED PRESS

Terence “Bud” Crawford entered to boos and exited to an ovation.

The 37-year-old from Omaha, Neb., won over the largest crowd ever assembled for a boxing match in Nevada, with an announced attendance of 70,482, by making history Saturday night at Allegiant Stadium. Crawford became the first boxer ever to capture the undisputed championship in a third weight class by upsetting fan favorite Saul “Canelo” Alvarez via unanimous decision (116-112, 115-113, 115-113).

“I’ve been telling y’all,” Crawford said in the ring afterwards with his new super middleweight belts slung over his shoulders.

The 35-year-old Canelo drew the vast majority of predictions and closed as high as a -190 (i.e. risking $190 to win $100) favorite in sports books, but Crawford looked superior from the onset.

The concerns many expressed about Crawford moving up to a weight class 33 pounds higher than where he began his career never materialized. Crawford didn’t lose any of his speed and pieced together punches lethally to get Canelo retreating often through the first three rounds.

When Canelo did march forward, Crawford quickly figured out his opponent’s timing to keep scoring points.

If anything, the official scores felt flattering to the Mexican superstar. The Sun’s scorecard gave Crawford the fight 117-111, and some other media tallies were even higher.

“I feel great, I feel strong,” Canelo said in his post-fight ring interview. “He’s a great fighter. I gave it all.”

The first three rounds may have left some room for interpretation without any definitive moments for either fighter, but the fourth is where Crawford really started to pull away. He swarmed the former champion from the opening bell and left him flustered.

Crawford began smiling late in the round as Canelo winged punches that missed. Canelo shook his head at one point to signal that a Crawford punch hadn’t bothered him, but the action was telling a different story.

“Canelo is a great champion,” Crawford said. “I’ve got to tip my hat off to him. I’ve got nothing but respect for him.”

Crawford had pursued a mega-bout for years with Canelo, who was originally uninterested. That started to change as Crawford maintained his undefeated record — now 42-0 — and became a bigger draw, especially after beating Errol Spence via TKO in a July 2022 bout at T-Mobile Arena.

But the biggest factor was Turki Alalshikh, adviser to the royal court of Saudi Arabia, committing to make the fight happen. Boxing’s biggest power player reportedly guaranteed Canelo at least $100 million for the fight, which aired live on Netflix free to subscribers.

So, while Canelo may have still believed that the bout with Crawford was a lose-lose proposition by taking on the smaller, less popular fighter as he had stated in previous years, the payday made up for it.

“That’s what I do: I take risks,” Canelo said. “My legacy is there from taking this because I love this.”

Crawford said he took the fight for only $10 million because it was more about proving himself as the best fighter of his generation than money.

The bout could usher in a new era for the sport as it was the first event promoted by Alalshikh in partnership with UFC President Dana White. The two were front and center ringside and plan to launch a larger boxing promotion next year.

White said earlier this week that Canelo vs. Crawford was a one-off in terms of blockbuster fights, but that may have changed now. Neither Crawford nor Canelo expressed much interest in retiring when asked after the fight.

In fact, Canelo hinted that the dynamic may have shifted. He may now be the one pushing to fight Crawford.

A sequel could be coming.

“I feel ready to share the ring with great fighters like him,” Canelo said. “If we do it again, it’s going to be great.”