Canelo Alvarez hailed Terence Crawford as a superior fighter to Floyd Mayweather after being comprehensively outclassed by the American in Las Vegas.
Crawford, jumping up three divisions from welterweight, outboxed the Mexican over 12 rounds at Allegiant Stadium to become the first man to hold undisputed titles in three weight classes.
The judges scored it 116-112, 115-113 and 115-113 as the slicker, lighter fighter controlled the bout from the fifth round and never let the champion settle.
Speaking in his post-fight press conference, Alvarez ranked Crawford above Mayweather, the first man to beat him, as he reflected on a one-sided night.
‘I think he’s way better than Floyd Mayweather,’ Alvarez told reporters in Las Vegas after the clash.
Alvarez, 35, knows Mayweather’s quality first-hand after losing to the American in 2013.
Canelo Alvarez hailed Terence Crawford as a superior fighter to Floyd Mayweather after being comprehensively outclassed by the American
The judges scored it 116-112, 115-113 and 115-113 as the slicker, lighter fighter controlled the bout from the fifth round
He was a unified super-welterweight champion aged just 23 and was outboxed over 12 rounds in Las Vegas in a fight that cemented Mayweather’s position as pound-for-pound king.
Reflecting later on Mike Tyson’s HotBoxin’ podcast, he admitted: ‘When I fought with Floyd, I was 23. I always think I need to fight first with [Miguel] Cotto, [Erislandy] Lara and all of those guys and then Floyd.
‘But that’s what it is. I needed more experience, more maturity. I don’t take that fight like a loss, I learned from that fight.’
Since then Canelo has become a four-division world champion and the face of boxing. Crawford, meanwhile, is constructing a resume to rival even Mayweather’s.
Already undisputed at light-welterweight in 2017 and a long-reigning champion at 147lb, the 36-year-old from Omaha is now the first male boxer in history to claim undisputed titles in three weight classes.
He did so by walking through the shots of a man 14 pounds heavier on the scales and firing back with his own rapid combinations that stopped Alvarez in his tracks and knocked him off balance on frequent occasions.
The Mexican had some success in the early rounds on Saturday, landing chopping shots and combinations, but Crawford’s counters repeatedly picked off those blows.
Even at the start of the ninth, when both men stood toe-to-toe exchanging vicious punches at centre ring, it was the natural welterweight who got the better of it.
Alvarez, 35, knows Mayweather’s quality first-hand after losing his only previous fight in 2013 to the unbeaten American
By the championship rounds the result looked beyond doubt, with the two 115-113 tallies flattering to the dethroned champion.
Crawford’s unanimous decision win and Canelo’s extraordinary praise afterwards will only intensify calls for him to be recognised as boxing’s pound-for-pound No 1.
As the first man to become undisputed in three divisions, he has already secured a place among the sport’s all-time greats.
