Canelo came in the king of 168, strutting round like he owned the place. Terence “Bud” Crawford didn’t give a toss. He walked up two divisions, crossed into Canelo’s manor, and boxed his head off. No robbery, no dodgy scorecards, just clean work over 12 rounds.
Judges had it 116-112, 115-113, 115-113. Close enough on paper, but anyone watching knew Crawford had him on a string. Canelo looked lost, trying to time shots that never came. Bud had him biting at feints, walking into jabs, swinging air.
Pound-for-Pound Talk Gets Messy Now
Allegiant Stadium was rammed – 70,482 inside, live gate $47 million, records smashed left, right, and centre. Biggest boxing crowd the stadium’s seen, second biggest indoor U.S. gate ever. All for Canelo… and he ended up the bridesmaid.
Crawford weren’t shocked though. “The first three rounds … I felt like I was in control,” he shrugged. Asked if Canelo looked rattled, Bud didn’t blink: “Of course … he was a little frustrated in there, but that’s part of the game.”
He even said the fight was finished the moment the pen hit the paper. “When he [Canelo] signed the contract.” Cold.
Canelo Out of Puff, Out of Options
To his credit, Canelo fronted it after. No sulking, no excuses, just bare honesty. “Sometimes you try and your body cannot go, right? That was my frustration,” he admitted. “Maybe I could figure out Crawford, but my body could not go anymore.”
On whether Bud landed the bombs? “No, I don’t think so. I hit Crawford, but no clean shots with all my power.”
And when the Floyd question came – you could hear the air shift – Canelo didn’t bottle it. “I think Crawford is way better than Floyd Mayweather.” That’s gonna cause noise for years.
Bud’s Legacy Carved in Stone
This was the night Crawford’s haters ran out of lines. For years it was “he ain’t fought nobody.” Well, he just boxed the biggest somebody in the sport and schooled him. “It means a lot to me because anybody can be a nobody, like I said … they saying all I fight is nobodies, so what can they say now?”
On if this was the crown jewel? Bud didn’t hesitate: “For sure, this is definitely a signature win … moving up two weight classes, being the B side, fighting a guy that’s been undefeated in the division, undisputed … of course this means a lot.”
And the mic-drop: “Every time that I got a chance, I wipe the floor with him. Wipe the floor with ’em. So just imagine where I would’ve been at today if I had got them opportunities a long time ago. But then again, it wasn’t my time. My time is now and I’m happy that everything played out the way it did. And you looking at the undisputed champion of the world right now.”
Undercard Results
- Callum Walsh beat Fernando Vargas Jr. via UD (100-90, 99-91, 99-91)
- Christian Mbilli vs. Lester Martinez – split draw (95-95, 96-94, 93-97)
- Mohammed Alakel beat Travis Kent Crawford via UD (99-91, 99-91, 98-92)
- Brandon Adams beat Serhii Bohachuk via UD (99-91, 98-92, 98-92)
- Jermaine Franklin beat Ivan Dychko via UD (97-92, 96-93, 95-94)
- Reito Tsutsumi stopped Javier Martinez in Round 1 (TKO)
- Sultan Almohammed beat Martin Caraballo via UD (40-36 x3)
- Raiko Santana stopped Steven Nelson in Round 1 (TKO)
- Marco Verde stopped Sona Akale in Round 4 (TKO)
‘No PPV’ sounds nice but it’s only on Netflix which ain’t free either 🤷♀️ People acting like it’s some gift from heaven but they still getting your money every month anyway. Ain’t fooling nobody!
Crawford might be slick but when you move up weight like that, your punches don’t hurt the same no more 😒 Canelo will walk through them shots and crush him by round six, maybe sooner.
Why Dana White even here? He’s UFC not boxing! Feels like this whole thing is a circus made by rich guys with oil money 💸 Can we just have normal boxing back without all this weird stuff?
Everybody saying Canelo too old or slow now but y’all forgot he still got that Mexican left hook 💥 Age don’t stop power and Crawford never felt that kind of punch before so we’ll see.
Crawford too cocky if you ask me. Saying he gonna dominate like that? He better humble up or Canelo gonna lay him out cold 😬 Don’t matter how good you is if you forget who the champ is.
I think Netflix got no business in boxing. They should stick to movies and stop messing with sports. This fight gonna be a mess cause it’s all about money now, not about boxing no more.
I don’t understand why people think Crawford even got a chance. Like, he small and ain’t never fought at 168 before. Canelo been there, done that. This fight is just for show 😤
Nah you wrong. Just cause Crawford smaller don’t mean he can’t win. He beat Spence bad and that dude was bigger too. Size don’t win fights, brains do 🧠🥊