‘he’s Way Better Than Mayweather’: Crawford Hailed By Canelo After Signature Win

After scaling 2 divisions to outclass Canelo Álvarez for nan undisputed super-middleweight title earlier a grounds crowd connected Saturday night, Terence Crawford wasted nary clip calling it nan defining capacity of an already superb career.

“This is decidedly a signature win,” Crawford told reporters afterward. “Moving up 2 weight classes, being nan B-side, fighting a feline that’s been undefeated successful nan division, undisputed, taking each his titles, doing everything that I said I was going to do. Of people this intends a lot.”

Asked erstwhile he knew he would hit Álvarez, nan laconic Crawford didn’t miss a beat. “When he signed nan contract,” he said, drafting laughter from nan room. But nan one-liners were accompanied by a deeper insistence that this consequence was nary accident. “When I group my sights connected doing thing and I cognize what I’m tin of, it’s not for illustration a astonishment to me,” he said. “It’s a astonishment to y’all, because y’all didn’t judge me. But for me, I knew I could do it. I conscionable needed nan opportunity.”

Crawford described nan first fewer rounds arsenic controlled alternatively than cautious. “I felt for illustration I was successful control,” he said. “I deliberation he was trying to fig maine out.” When Álvarez did get done pinch punches to nan body, Crawford brushed them off. “He wasn’t hitting nan assemblage aliases anything. He was hitting my elbow because I was blocking it.”

The sixth round, erstwhile Crawford began to guidelines his crushed and onshore crisp near hands, marked nan infinitesimal he felt nan equilibrium shift. “Around for illustration nan sixth round, I felt for illustration I needed to measurement it up a small much and get much power of nan fight, because nan conflict was going for illustration a seesaw effect,” he said. From location he grew much confident, moreover smiling astatine Canelo’s champion shots successful nan precocious rounds.

Much of nan buildup had focused connected whether Crawford, who had fought astatine 147lb aliases beneath successful each but 1 of his 41 erstwhile fights earlier Saturday night, could grip Canelo’s power. He was dismissive. “I’ve been deed harder,” he said, citing Egidijus Kavaliauskas, who wounded him concisely successful 2019. “[Kavaliauskas] deed harder than Canelo, to me, to beryllium honest.”

When told that Álvarez appeared to slice successful nan later rounds, Crawford refused to diminish his opponent. “He was 1,000% prepared. I conscionable deliberation I was nan amended man today.”

Álvarez, for his part, offered nary excuses aft turning up for a property convention that astir would person understood if he’d blown off. “We knew Crawford is simply a awesome combatant … I tried my champion tonight, and I conscionable couldn’t fig retired nan style. You request to return nan nonaccomplishment and judge everything,” he said. Later he added, almost ruefully: “Sometimes you effort and your assemblage cannot go. That’s my vexation … my assemblage conscionable didn’t fto maine spell anymore.”

Canelo Álvarez, left, and Terence Crawford speech words aft Saturday night’s post-fight property conference. Photograph: Harry How/Getty Images for Netflix

The triumph made Crawford nan first antheral boxer successful nan four-belt era to go undisputed successful 3 divisions, an accomplishment antecedently matched only by Henry Armstrong successful 1938. “It intends a batch to me, because anybody tin beryllium a nobody,” Crawford said. “That’s each they opportunity I’ve been fighting is nobodies. So what tin they opportunity now? Somebody show me, what tin you opportunity now?”

Crawford insisted he had thing but respect for Canelo. “He’s a awesome champion. He’s a beardown competitor,” he said. “Like I said before, I’ve sewage thing but respect for Canelo. I’m a large instrumentality of Canelo and he fought for illustration a champion today.” Álvarez moreover returned nan compliment pinch a striking admission: “I deliberation Crawford is measurement amended than Floyd Mayweather.”

As for his ain spot successful history, Crawford pushed backmost against nan inevitable comparisons. “Floyd was nan top successful his era. I’m nan top successful my era. It ain’t nary request to comparison maine to Floyd aliases Floyd to me.”

And then, nan combatant who has built a profession connected being understated, vanished pinch a reminder that nan vindication was arsenic overmuch astir nan doubters arsenic nan believers. “The ones that doubted me, they know,” he said. “I don’t person to opportunity I told you truthful aliases swipe it successful their face. This correct present is I told you so.”