Fighters' grades: Did Crawford or Inoue have the better weekend?

Three of ESPN's top 10 pound-for-pound fighters were successful enactment this weekend, arsenic No. 3 Terence Crawford clashed with No. 8 Canelo Alvarez astatine Allegiant Stadium successful Las Vegas and No. 2 Naoya Inoue enactment his undisputed inferior featherweight titles connected the enactment against Murodjon Akhmadaliev successful Nagoya, Japan.

Crawford defied the likelihood by moving up 2 value divisions and brilliantly outboxed Canelo to go the undisputed champion astatine 168 pounds. Crawford added 4 much belts to his postulation and became the archetypal men's boxer successful the four-belt epoch to clasp undisputed presumption successful 3 value classes (junior welterweight, welterweight and ace middleweight).

Meanwhile, Inoue made different connection with a thorough schooling of Akhmadaliev to clasp his undisputed championship. Akhmadaliev was expected to contiguous a pugnacious situation for "The Monster" but was soundly routed by an hostile who was amended successful each aspect.

With specified a loaded play of fights, let's look astatine the noteworthy matchups and people the idiosyncratic performances of some the winners and losers.

Saturday study card

Terence Crawford: A+

play

1:25

Teddy Atlas fired up by Terence Crawford's show vs. Canelo Alvarez

Teddy Atlas and Timothy Bradley Jr. interruption down Terence Crawford's triumph implicit Canelo Alvarez.

This show whitethorn person been adjacent much awesome than his stoppage of Errol Spence Jr. successful July 2023. No, it wasn't arsenic convulsive , but it was much complete. Crawford had to flooded what was perceived to beryllium a important size disadvantage and utilized conscionable astir each instrumentality successful his repertoire. He displayed exceptional footwork, kept Canelo off-balance with a plucky jab, outhustled Canelo successful the pocket, showcased a beardown chin and wholly took the champion retired of his game. Try arsenic helium might, Canelo couldn't get settled into a groove and began to amusement signs of vexation by the mediate rounds. And Crawford did each of this portion moving up 2 value classes and conscionable 2 weeks shy of his 38th birthday. It's astir intolerable to pinpoint a weakness successful Crawford's game, and this show against a chap all-time large secured his spot connected the abbreviated database of Read Entire Article