LAS VEGAS — Outside Allegiant Stadium, silence. Less than an hour after Terence Crawford’s win over Canelo Alvarez, thousands of Mexican fans poured across a bridge towards Mandalay Bay, looks of resignation splashed across their faces. 

“I can’t f------ believe,” said a man draped in a Mexican flag, “that happened.” 

That was Crawford’s unanimous decision win over Alvarez, a victory that dethroned Canelo as the king of the 168-pound division and made Crawford the ruler of another one. No male fighter in the four-belt era has ever won three undisputed championships. No one until Bud.  

“The cream always rises to the top,” said Crawford.

It’s impossible to overstate the significance of Crawford’s performance. Two years ago, Crawford was on top of the 147-pound division. The idea that he could compete with Canelo seemed laughable, even to some around him. But he called for it. He pushed for it. And when given the opportunity, he seized it. 

“When I set my sights on doing something and I know what I’m capable of, it’s not a surprise to me,” Crawford told reporters. “It’s a surprise to y’all because y’all didn’t believe. I believed I could do it. I just needed the opportunity.”

Saturday night wasn’t an instant classic. It was a chess match, with boxing gloves. Crawford used the entirety of the ring, flummoxing Alvarez with footwork, a stiff jab (45 landed, per CompuBox) and a reliable defense. In his previous 12 fights, Canelo landed 46% of his power punches. Against Crawford, it was 32%. 

“I try my best tonight,” said Alvarez. “I just cannot figure out the style.”

Still, the fight was close. Crawford knew it. The first few rounds were cagey. Crawford probing with jabs. Alvarez hunting for one power shot. Crawford believed he was winning the early rounds (“The first three I felt I was in control,” said Crawford.), but after each round his corner couldn’t be sure. 

In the sixth round, Crawford stepped on the gas. He stayed in the pocket. He let his hands go. Unimpressed by Alvarez’s power—“Mean Machine hit harder,” said Crawford, referencing Egidijus Kavaliauskas, a former welterweight foe—Crawford grew bolder. He battered Alvarez with 43 punches in the ninth round. He threw 60 more in the 11th. 

“I think what was frustrating him the most is all his big shots, I was blocking and catching and countering,” said Crawford. “I think that was really a big factor in why he was frustrated.”

Much of the focus coming into the fight was on Crawford’s weight, on the 14 pounds of muscle he packed on. Crawford looked ripped on Friday, weighing in at a thick 167.5 pounds. It made some—including this scribe—wonder if Crawford would have the legs down the stretch. He won two of the final three rounds on two scorecards and all three on a third. 

Not since Floyd Mayweather has an opponent outboxed Canelo. 

“Crawford,” says Alvarez, “is way better than Mayweather.” 

This was all Crawford wanted. A chance to prove his greatness. For years Crawford was denied marquee matchups. He fought at 140 pounds when it was a nameless division. He won a title in his first fight at 147 but stood by helplessly while his longtime rival, Errol Spence, collected the rest. Skeptics wondered if a wafer-thin résumé made him overrated. He silenced many with a dominant win over Spence in ’23. On Saturday, he shut up the rest. 

“All the time that they blocked me out, they said I wasn't fighting nobody, I can't beat this dude. I can't beat that dude,” said Crawford. “Every time that I got a chance, I wiped the floor with him. So just imagine where I would've been at today if I had got them opportunities a long time ago.”

Regardless, Crawford now enters rarified air. He’s in the mix for the Mount Rushmore of the 21st century, battling the likes of Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao, Oleksandr Usyk and Andre Ward for real estate. At 37, he’s the best fighter in whatever weight class he chooses to compete in. 

Canelo Alvarez fighting Terence Crawford
Terence Crawford and Canelo Alvarez could be headed for a rematch. | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

And will he? After the fight Crawford didn’t sound like a man headed for retirement. A rematch with Canelo is certainly possible. For both, it’s probably the best option. Crawford made it clear he wasn’t going down to 154-pounds to take on Jaron Ennis and scoffed at the suggestion that he could move up to 175. Alvarez isn’t moving up in weight, either, and the only competition at 168 is from the man who just beat him. 

Said Crawford, “I’m open to whatever.”

For now, he’ll celebrate. Crawford will turn 38 in two weeks, an age most fighters are faded or long since gone. He appears to be just hitting his stride. First Spence, now Canelo and the names keep getting bigger. Terence Crawford always believed he was great. Now he has the receipts to prove it.  

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as By Defeating Canelo Alvarez, Terence Crawford Is Now a Boxing Legend .

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