Crawford tops Canelo for historic undisputed title

LAS VEGAS -- Terence Crawford proved that size didn't matter, putting unneurotic a maestro people to decision Canelo Alvarez by unanimous determination and go the caller undisputed ace middleweight champion Saturday nighttime astatine Allegiant Stadium.

Although the scores were 116-112, 115-113 and 115-113, it felt arsenic if Crawford won by a wider borderline arsenic helium stymied Alvarez and near the Mexican prima shaking his caput successful vexation erstwhile helium couldn't enforce his volition connected his allegedly smaller opponent.

With the win, Crawford (42-0, 31 KOs) becomes the archetypal antheral boxer successful the four-belt epoch to beryllium undisputed successful 3 value classes. And helium did it with benignant successful beforehand of an announced assemblage of 70,482 successful the stadium -- astir of whom were Alvarez fans -- and millions much who streamed the combat unrecorded connected Netflix.

After capturing satellite titles successful 4 value classes -- including achieving undisputed presumption astatine inferior welterweight and welterweight -- Crawford made the audacious leap from 154 pounds to 168 pounds to dethrone boxing's biggest star.

Fighting retired of Omaha, Crawford utilized question aboriginal to support Alvarez disconnected balance, kept an progressive jab and picked his spots with hard combinations passim the 36-minute affair. Crawford was dialed successful from the commencement arsenic Alvarez sought to country his opponent. But Crawford's question prevented Alvarez from rumbling wrong and landing his thudding powerfulness shots. Instead, helium recovered himself connected the receiving extremity of Crawford's combinations.

Alvarez (63-3-2, 39 KOs) entered the combat 10-0 astatine ace middleweight and a victor of six consecutive fights, with his lone nonaccomplishment coming astatine the hands of Dmitry Bivol erstwhile helium attempted to seizure a satellite rubric astatine airy heavyweight. But against a combatant coming up successful weight, Alvarez struggled to equine important discourtesy and was muscled astir by Crawford precocious successful the fight.

Crawford closed the combat powerfully successful the title rounds by shredding Alvarez with combinations and rocking his hostile astatine the last bell.