We Don’t Judge Behind The Ring: Crawford Sparks After He dethrones Canelo to emerge as boxing’s new leading star.
Terence Crawford never wanted to be the face of boxing. He said it in fight week.
But after dismantling Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez on Mexican Independence weekend, in front of 70,000 in Las Vegas and a likely record-breaking global audience on Netflix, he has no choice.
It wasn’t just a win. It was a career-defining, legacy-cementing, history-making performance.
Terence Crawford became the first male fighter to be undisputed champion across three weight divisions in the four-belt era.
Before the fight Alvarez had dismissed Crawford’s resume, claiming he had “fought nobody”.
Within an hour of victory Crawford fired back on social media.
“For all the nobodies,” he said. Cue a figurative mic drop.
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From his breakthrough world title against Britain’s Ricky Burns at lightweight in 2014 to cleaning out light-welterweight and welterweight, and now dethroning the sport’s biggest star at super-middleweight after moving up two divisions, Crawford’s CV gleams with rare accomplishment.
Boxing doesn’t always recognise greatness until it’s gone.
But right now we have two unbeaten fighters – Crawford and heavyweight Oleksandr Usyk – who are guaranteed hall of famers. Both are in their late-30s, proving that age is just a number.
There’s even that clip of them playing chess in 2018. A stalemate? Perhaps. Because how do you separate their achievements?
The kid from Omaha who once needed counselling for his temper and who survived a shooting moved through the ring with a serene, almost unreadable focus.
All week Crawford exuded unrelenting confidence. There was no doubt in his mind.
He was relaxed and smiling throughout fight week, unfazed by the occasion. Even when he wound up the Mexican fans by making his entrance to a mariachi band, there was never a flicker of doubt he wouldn’t back it up.
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That same calm assurance carried into the post-fight news conference, where he beamed with satisfaction.
“When I set my sights on doing something and I know what I’m capable of, it’s not like a surprise to me,” Crawford said.
“It’s a surprise to you all because you all didn’t believe me. I knew I could do it. I just needed an opportunity.”
Asked when he knew he had beaten Alvarez, Crawford coolly responded: “When he signed the contract.”
Inevitable comparisons will now be drawn with American great Floyd Mayweather, but Crawford batted them away.
“Floyd was the greatest of his era. I’m the greatest of this era. There’s no need to compare,” he said.
