On Saturday night, history was made as two of the greatest fighters of their generation — Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford — stepped into the ring to face off in a historic clash at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. After 12 hard-fought tactical rounds, “Bud” kept his record perfect with a decisive decision win over the Mexican legend.
With the historic fight in the books, let’s look at the biggest takeaways from Canelo vs. Crawford.
Terence Crawford is the greatest fighter of this generation
What made Canelo vs. Crawford such an important fight was that it was a showdown between a pair of generational talents who have been among the best pound-for-pound fighters on Earth for much of the last decade. That is a true rarity in boxing, and the winner would lay claim to being called the best of their era. On Saturday night, Crawford did that.
He used the same superior boxing skills he showcased in wins over Errol Spence Jr., Amir Khan, and Shawn Porter against one of the greats of this century to win the biggest fight of his career. If there was any doubt before, there isn’t anymore. Terence Crawford — the first three-division undisputed champion — is the best fighter of his generation.
Canelo Alvarez was on the wrong side of a big upset
Canelo Alvarez is a legend and a future Hall-of-Famer. But the big knock on him over the last decade was that he passed on some big fights against elite and dangerous fighters. After years of clamoring for it, the Mexican great finally took a risk. And it was against a fighter moving up two weight classes, who was two years older, and hadn’t fought in a year.
Yet, despite being the favorite, Alvarez was not able to overcome the better boxing of his opponent. While two judges had it 115-113, it felt like Crawford cruised to the win and embarrassed Alvarez at times. It was the sort of loss that drops him a level (maybe two) when it comes to the true icons of the sport.
Crawford can continue to be a threat at super middleweight if he wants
The biggest question coming into the fight was how Crawford would handle going up over 20 pounds (168 pounds) from the weight where he was supposed to be his best (147 pounds). And could he handle the power of the undisputed super middleweight king? The welterweight icon looked outstanding against what was supposed to be the biggest challenge of his career, physically and technically.
He seemed like a natural 168-pounder. If he wanted to fight more at the weight class (he probably won’t unless it’s against Alvarez), he could. What he did on Saturday will be one of the most memorable feats of a stellar career.
Was Canelo mentally broken late in the fight?
One of the biggest takeaways from Canelo vs. Crawford is that it seemed like Alvarez was mentally broken at the very end. The Mexican is one of the roughest and toughest fighters the sport has ever had. But he seemed to have flashbacks to his Floyd Mayweather fight in 2013. Where he just had no real answer for the challenge in front of him.
At one point in the twelfth, he took a stiff shot from Crawford and just paused to look away in obvious frustration. It was a stunning moment that surely had some boxing fans wondering if we might get “No Mas” part two.
Mega Fights can be great without it being a bloody brawl
Another massive takeaway from Canelo vs. Crawford was that it was an outstanding fight without having to be a bloody war. So many fight fans feel great fights only happen when the fighters are badly mangled. And years are taken off their lives. However, that was not the case in Las Vegas, and that was just fine.
The bout was human chess at the highest levels, and it was a sight to behold. It was exciting, intriguing, and entertaining. It delivered on the hype, and many fans are sure to hope for a rematch in 2026.
