LAS VEGAS - Canelo came into the ring with decades of experience, ferocious power, a massive worldwide fan base, and a suite of five championship titles. For many of his fans, this unexpected loss feels particularly bitter because he couldn’t seem to reach Crawford for the entirety of the fight to deliver the power blows that Canelo is know for. Indeed, Crawford entered the ring with a huge 4 inch reach advantage that he used brilliantly throughout the fight to frustrate Canelo all night.

Indeed, the Mexican boxing world got its heart broken — but also blown away — this weekend. Terence “Bud” Crawford’s win over Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez wasn’t just another upset: it was a seismic shift in legacy, skill, and the definition of greatness. In defeating Canelo by unanimous decision (116-112, 115-113, 115-113), moving up two weight classes to take undisputed super‑middleweight honours, Crawford became the first man in the four-belt era to hold undisputed titles in three divisions — junior welterweight, welterweight, and super middleweight.

Crawford’s elusiveness, footwork, speed, ring IQ, counter‑punching and ability to neutralize Canelo’s strength and signature body attacks all came into perfect harmony. Over the twelve rounds, instead of being steamrolled or overwhelmed, Crawford maintained distance, slipped, timed, and countered; when Canelo pressed, Crawford slipped or circled, and when Canelo found an opening, Crawford responded sharply. He controlled mid-ranges, avoided giving Canelo the moments he needed, and frustrated the former pound-for-pound king.

Reaction of the Crowd & Quotes from the Fighters Capture Class, Honor, Respect and Enormity of a Special Evening

The financial stakes were enormous. Canelo was expected to walk away with somewhere in the neighborhood of $100 million or more, including guarantees, streaming revenue, etc. Cahoots with big-time Saudi/Netflix deals pushed those numbers up. Meanwhile, Crawford claimed a much smaller guaranteed purse — $10 million — emphasizing that for him, legacy outweighed money.

Canelo’s fan base in attendance comprised of mostly Mexican Americans, other U.S. Latinos, and Mexicans who traveled from Mexico, showed a tremendous amount of class when hearing the judges' decision. Despite that Canelo was never at any time hurt throughtout the course of the fight, there were no boos nor any shows of disgraceful behavior toward Crawford when the fight ended. It was readily apparent that everyone recognized they were witnessing something historic and thoroughly respected Crawford's performance to the end.

As for Canelo's reaction to this undprecedented defeat in his career, he was a model of sportsmanship in the loss. After the fight, he gave Crawford full credit stating: “I always tried, all the rounds I tried.. We knew Crawford is a great fighter, and I did what I was supposed to do." He called Crawford “a great fighter” and straight-out admitted he “could not figure out the style” and “he deserves all the credit.” In comparing his most infamous loss to Mayweather early in his career, Canelo said: "I think Crawford is way better than Floyd Mayweather."

Crawford too was also gracious. “When I set my sights on doing something and I know what I’m capable of, it’s not like a surprise to me... I’ve got nothing but respect for Canelo. He’s a great champion... He fought like a champion today.”