![[Original size] DJ's Sports Show.png](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/75856f_7f4ffe7f83c14d209a701ef21c02c17d~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_120,h_120,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/%5BOriginal%20size%5D%20DJ's%20Sports%20Show.png)
Terence Crawford outclasses Canelo Alvarez for the undisputed Super Middleweight Belt.
- Donald Hamilton
- Sep 14, 2025
- 5 min read
El Paso Times
A record-breaking crowd of over 70,000 gathered at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, to witness history, shattering the previous record of 29,214 fans set in 1982 during Larry Holmes vs. Gerry Cooney. Mexican professional boxer and UFC legend Canelo Alvarez (63-2-2, 39 KOs) vs. four-division weight champion and Omaha native Terence Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs), marking the biggest match of Crawford's career.
Crawford emerged victorious in a fight that will go down in history. Crawford outclassed Canelo Alvarez for the undisputed Super Middleweight Belt. winning by unanimous decision with scores of 116-112, 115-113, and 115-113 to claim the undisputed super middleweight championship and improve his unblemished career record to 42-0.
He became the first boxer in history to win undisputed titles in three different weight classes (super middleweight, welterweight, and junior welterweight). This was a spectacular feat, considering he moved up two weight divisions to compete against Canelo, fighting for the first time in his career at 160 lbs or heavier, and his first fight since defeating Israil Madrimov in August 2024.
Both fighters were feeling it out early, observing the opponent as Crawford came out with a few jabs to test Canelo, including a powerful left hook shot to the left of Alvarez’s face. In the opening exchange, Canelo landed a solid left hook to Crawford's body, but Crawford was able to block most of his powerful punches as the clear enforcer to open the fight.
Both fighters were able to land a few decent shots in round two as Crawford started to get more aggressive with his jabs and hooks. Canelo was patient early, known not for his jab punches but for his powerful counterpunch, a signature throughout his illustrious career.
Round three began with an early flurry of activity as Alvarez and Crawford exchanged numerous punches, while Crawford skillfully managed the distance of the fight like a seasoned veteran. Throughout the first three rounds, all of Canelo’s vicious shots targeted Crawford's body, but he could not land a power shot to Crawford's head that would knock him off balance and reveal how he would respond.
Crawford started Round 4 by throwing a couple of cross hooks to Canelo's head, which seemed to bother him, while Canelo began landing some hard right-hand power shots on Crawford. Crawford slipped side to side to keep Canelo off balance while landing a two-three combination on him, and Canelo quickly responded with a clean right-hand punch at Crawford, who was in the southpaw stance.
The fifth was a masterful defensive display; both fighters whiffed shots that could have been devastating. Crawford was caught by Canelo on the ropes, with the referee having to intervene to bring the fifth round to a close as Canelo started to gain momentum, albeit in a lackluster round.
Crawford unleashed a vicious left hand in the sixth, reminiscent of the punch that defeated Errol Spence in 2023, while taunting Canelo, noticing the redness on his face. A couple more cross hooks for Crawford late in the sixth showed the Omaha native’s ability to adjust after a lackluster fifth round. Canelo was able to land a body shot and left hand on Crawford, but he ripped through the body of Canelo to land a right hand of his own.
As the two courageous competitors refused to back down from each other and began firing rocket cannons at each other, the tension intensified. Canelo started to fire shots on the inside, pushing forward and throwing while Crawford was methodically holding his place. Alvarez was able to corner Crawford, but Crawford’s intellect landed a few uppercuts and circled away as the frustration on Canelo’s face became apparent.
Crawford’s punch resistance and elite conditioning became evident in the later rounds, including a rugged left-hand body shot to Canelo. As they raced around the ring, Alvarez landed two powerful blows on Crawford: a right uppercut and a left lower cut. They clenched arms as Crawford turned Canelo to the ropes, but not much happened near the end of the eighth.
The ninth round began violently, with both fighters throwing furious punches as the action reached its climax, up to that point, until an accidental headbutt caused an abrasion on Crawford's right eye, causing a temporary pause in the match. Once the fight restarted, Canelo came out with a powerful combination, landing a right hand on Crawford.
Crawford continued to use his jab while Alvarez attempted to knock him out with a right hook, which missed due to Crawford's excellent weaving; this allowed Crawford to duck the shot and land a blow on Canelo.
The crowd erupted.
Crawford’s chess-like movements were continuing to stall Canelo heading into round 10, as he was not making himself vulnerable to Alvarez’s power hits. Canelo was able to get Crawford on the ropes and land a few body punches as the two fighters tangled up a few times, with Crawford disengaging and circling away. Crawford was able to land a few three-punch combo flurries that included a jab and two hooks to Canelo.
Approaching the final two rounds, both fighters knew the scorecards were close and needed to land a few blows to separate. Crawford caught Canelo with a vicious uppercut that would have knocked out another fighter, but Canelo's strong chin held up.
Canelo responded with a dig to the body moments later as the murmurs in the crowd started to get louder. By this point in the fight, Crawford was dominating Canelo in every way imaginable. Canelo's energy was depleting, and Crawford ripped him apart with a three-punch combination heading into the final round.
Crawford performed exceptionally well in the final round, throwing Canelo off-balance with his uppercuts and jabs as they battled until the final bell, during which Crawford executed a terrific duck to avoid what would’ve been a ferocious right-hander as Canelo tried to summon something special to win the fight. This resulted in Crawford delivering a left-handed punch to Canelo's face in a textbook sequence of elite boxing fundamentals.
Crawford finished the fight with the stats in his favor, landing 115 of 534 total punches and 70 of 208 power punches, with Canelo landing just 99 of 338 total punches in comparison, per CompuBox. Canelo landed 83 out of 260 power punches, giving him an advantage with 83 connections compared to his opponent's 70.
However, Crawford’s power accuracy was significantly higher, at 56 percent to Canelo’s 49 percent, with the advantage in jabs as well, connecting on 45 of 326 compared to just 16 of 78 for Canelo. Canelo only landed 32 percent of his power punches, a big drop from his usual 46 percent, according to CompuBox.
"I think Crawford is way better than Floyd Mayweather," Canelo said at the postfight news conference.
Crawford, 37, wouldn’t say whether he would officially retire from boxing after Saturday; however, following his victory over Canelo, there seems to be little left for him to prove. He has achieved great success in the boxing world and has consistently silenced his doubters.
Whether it's delivering a violent massacre against Spence and Amin Khan or a textbook masterclass, outboxing his opponent like he did against Canelo and Viktor Postol, Crawford's legacy as the greatest fighter of his generation and one of the greatest pound-for-pound fighters we've ever seen is indelible.
Comments