In his seventh defense of the unified super-middleweight boxing belt â a championship he won with ninth-round technical knockout of Billy Joe Saunders on May 8, 2021, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez lost all of his titles to undefeated underdog Terence “Bud” Crawford by clear-cut unanimous decision on Saturday night at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
The fight was one of the most-watched boxing events in history, with an attendance of 70,482, second for an indoor boxing match only to the 73,126 who showed up to watch Alvarez fight Saunders at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, more than four years ago.
Fight Expected to Set Viewership Record
Streamed live on Netflix at no additional charge to the service’s nearly 302 million subscribers, the fight is expected to shatter records for viewership of a live boxing event.
In the fight, Crawford, who will turn 38 later this month, consistently outboxed Alvarez while also landing numerous solid punches, most notably to the side of the 35-year-old defending champion’s face which grew increasingly reddened and raw as the fight wore in.
In the end, Alvarez admitted, âI just could not figure out the style.â
Crawford’s Style Recalls Previous Canelo Opponent
Crawford’s ability to maintain movement in the ring and dodge or deflect most of the potentially devastating right hooks from Alvarez was reminiscent of a fight 12 years ago, when Alvarez took on another undefeated fighter, Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Mayweather’s style also frustrated Alvarez, who like most fighters Mayweather faced simply could not penetrate his virtuoso defense.
But while Mayweather fought almost entirely defensively, moving, ducking and weaving while throwing just enough scoring blows to earn a unanimous decision victory â the first of what are now only three losses in Alvarez’s 20-year, 68-fight career â Crawford actually fought.
In his 42nd consecutive win with zero defeats or draws, Crawford moved around the ring and kept a high guard, stymying Alvarez’s attempts to land devastating hooks or bully him into a corner. But rather than throw selective pot shots, Crawford repeatedly engaged the bigger man, getting into spirited, violent exchanges against the ropes and in the center of the ring.
Canelo’s Clear Message to Mayweather Jr.
After the fight, as quoted by The Athletic, Alvarez had a clear message for his now-retired opponent from 2013.
âI think Crawford is way better than Floyd Mayweather,” Alvarez declared.
Undoubtedly, Mayweather Jr., now 48 years old, will have some kind of a response when the comment by Alvarez gets back to him.
Mayweather accumulated a record of 50-0, winning more fights than any other boxer who retired undefeated. He broke the previous record held by heavyweight Rocky Marciano who retired in 1955 with 49 wins without a loss or draw.
Alvarez, Crawford Discuss Future (Sort Of)
Mayweather has not stepped into the ring in an official capacity since August 26, 2017, when he stopped mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor, who was making his boxing debut, in the 10th round at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Alvarez left open the question of whether he plans to retire after the loss to Crawford, though in a post-fight interview with ringside analyst Max Kellerman, he appeared open to the idea of a rematch with Crawford.
As for Crawford, he too was non-committal about his future, but hinted, “You know, who knows? â©I might go down to 160.”
That is the weight limit of boxing’s middleweight division.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Canelo Alvarez Gets Clear Message to Floyd Mayweather Jr. After Crawford Debacle appeared first on Heavy Sports.