Canelo Alvarez vs terence crawford: career highs, tactical failure and final prediction

When you talk about Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and look at what he has accomplished – from his beginnings as a fifteen year old boy to be a thirty -five -year -old man – it is easy to miss superlatives. The same goes for Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford.

The legend of words, the superstar, the undisputed champion and the big book for books have been launched by boxing scribes for decades, but we rarely hear fighters described as special. Crawford and Alvarez are that; They are both extraordinary in what they have achieved in their boxing lives.

Crawford started boxing at the age of seven in the local gymnasium in Omaha, Nebraska. He campaigned in seventy competitions before becoming professional in 2008.

Alvarez Amateur Foundation

Alvarez came from a family of fighting, according to his brothers at the gymnasium every day when he watched them train and endeavor. He was thirteen when he started boxing in amateurs. After forty-six competitions, Alvarez became a professional in 2005 at fifteen.

In 2014, after having accumulated an impressive sequence of victories of 22-0, Crawford went to Glasgow, Scotland, to challenge the proud light champion Wbo Ricky Burns. The sustainable champion was on an update and exceeded while Crawford took his heart and title, fighter on points to win his first world title.

Ride the divisions

Good victories on Yurierorkis Gamboa and Raymundo led Crawford to climb to fight Thomas Dalorme for the WBO Light-Welterweight title in Texas. Crawford defeated Dulorme to win the sixth round and become a two -weight world champion.

Crawford continued to defend his light weight title, then beat the extremely difficult Ukrainian boxer Victor Postol for the WBC light weight title and the ring belt in 2016. After more defenses, he faced Julius Indongo for his third WBC and WBO with the IBF title, making him go out with a bodily shooting in the third round.

In 2018, Crawford went up to challenge the Australian brawler Jeff Horn for his newly won Welter WBO weight title. Crawford has dismantled and upgraded the champion to win a world title in a third weight category.

Crawford vs top contenters

Crawford beat Amir Khan, Kell Brook and Shawn Porter in big victories. It was now 2022, and the next step was David Avaneyan. Crawford knocked him out in the sixth round to keep his title WBO Welterweight, and this victory helped to ensure a mega fight with the unified weighing champion in the world, Errol Spence Jr. before Crawford. I chose Crawford to dominate and control the fight – my view was an entering out as a damaged fighter. I thought Crawford would target the eye of Spence, and he did it, beating the unified pulp champion to become the undisputed western weight champion.

After a year of leave, Crawford went up to challenge the champion of medium weight junior WBO Israil Madrimov in 2024. Madrimov was an amateur decorated with 350 competitions to his credit and was undefeated as a professional. The man of Uzbekistan was well educated and hard like a rock.

Crawford has boxed well, against Madrimov and winning inside, but the champion fought with pride and determination to take the distance in Crawford in a huge fight. Crawford won the three dashboards to become world champion in a fourth weight category. Terence Crawford is 41-0 with 31 KB.

Alvarez’s first world title

Saul Alvarez won his first world title in his thirty-seventh fight. He beat English fighter Matthew Hatton on points to claim the WBC Junior Middleweight WBC championship in 2011.

After the victories on Ryan Rhodes, Alfonso Gomez and Kermit Cintron, he was twinned to fight Shane Mosley in 2012. Alvarez has fought with patience and maturity against the dangerous and experienced Mosley, winning points in Las Vegas.

Faced with Mayweather and beyond

After defeating Josesito Lopez and Austin Trout and added the average WBA weight belts and a junior ring, he faced Floyd Mayweather. Mayweather was too good inside, too smart outside, and too fast for Alvarez, the fighter on points in 2013.

Alvarez returned in March 2014 against the hard Alfredo Angulo, the fighter in ten laps, then fought Erislandy Lara in a closely disputed fight which he won by a disputed divided decision. Then, the powerful James Kirkland, but the pressure, speed and power of Alvarez were too much, which came out in the third round to fight with the Grand Miguel Cotto Puerto Rican.

Cotto Clash and Khan upset

Alvarez and Cotto exchanged punches for twelve huge rounds, but at the end, the speed, the timing and the variety of punch were decisive. Alvarez a Cuet Cotto with large straight hands, uppercuts and hard bodies to win by unanimous decision in Las Vegas.

In 2016, Alvarez faced Amir Khan and was overbriser until he intervened with a devastating right hand at Khan’s jaw in the sixth round, making him fall cold. Alvarez then won the title of the average WBO junior weights after having broken down the courageous Liam Smith, beating his body with quick left tears to take him out of the ninth round.

Chavez Jr. and Golovkin duels

In 2017, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (50-2-1) was the next one. Wickedness, testosterone, Mexican pride and boastful rights were the main themes of this weight fight. Alvarez dismantled and punished the Chavez Jr. much bigger, taking the twelve rounds on the weekend of the Mexican independence day in Las Vegas.

Gennady Golovkin had terrorized the medium weight division for years, and a fight with Alvarez was both lucrative and inevitable. Their first fight in September 2017 was declared a draw – many called it a flight. The Revenge match came after a period of twelve months, and Alvarez was declared a winner by majority decision, saying that the world’s average WBC, WBA and Ring world championships.

Career and subsequent title defenses

From there, Alvarez defeated Rocky Fielding in Super Middleweight and Daniel Jacobs in Middleweight in 2019. He then got a light heavyweight to challenge Sergey Kovalev for the WBO title, arresting Kovalev in the eleventh round.

After beating Callum Smith on points and defended his average weight titles, he beat Avni Yildirim in three laps, destroyed Billy Joe Saunders in eight laps and arrested Calent Plant in eleven rounds to finish 2021 as an undeniable champion.

Alvarez ventured to a light heavyweight to challenge Dmitry Bivo in May 2022. Bivol fought brilliantly to close the attack on Alvarez and retained its title.

Alvarez was then returned to Las Vegas for the trilogy fight with Golovkin to Super Middleweight, winning by unanimous decision and retaining all major belts. He continued to defend his average weight titles against John Ryder, Jermell Charlo, Jamie Munguia, Edgar Berlanga and William Scull.

At thirty-four, after sixty-seven combat career, is Alvarez at the end? Of course it is not. He made hundreds of millions by focusing and eliminating adversaries, but it seems that his devastating power has decreased as the years have passed in medium weights.

Comparative analysis: experience vs competence

Crawford will have thirty-eight hours of combat, but had much less fighting and much less wear. He has won eleven arrest victories since his Madrimov fight, so he will be the freshest fighter.

Since 2021, Crawford has fought five times with four stop victories. Alvarez fought ten times and seven of these battles have fought the distance.

There are a lot of discussions with the boxing of initiates who say that Crawford will be too small for average weights. It is an absolute nonsense. Alvarez is 5′8 ″ with a wingspan of 70.5 ″; Crawford measures 5′8 ″ with a wingspan of 74.0 ″.

This fight concerns which can adapt better to the standing man in front of them. The experience is with Alvarez. The competence is with Crawford.

The fight

Alvarez and Crawford are fighting and training for years. Who is the fighter with the least wear? Crawford has 31 stop victories and has been a dominant force since 2008. Alvarez has 39 stop victories, but his last TKO was in 2021 in Super Middleweight. Will Crawford increase its power two weight divisions? Probably not.

To win, Crawford must box and move and stay out of the ropes. The blow is the key – use your blow and go on it. Crawford has rhythm, balance and movement, and he can go effortlessly from Southpaw to Orthodox. He is the upper boxer and he can hit. Can he hurt Alvarez? Yes. Can he stop Alvarez? No.

Alvarez is a pressure fighter – a fantastic machine, a sharp shooter. Will he take advantage of Crawford’s slow tactic? Can he open Crawford? The answer is no. Crawford will he age and tired in the fight? Yes.

Crawford by unanimous decision in this battle of champions.

About Gary Todd

Gary Todd is a successful international author. He has been involved in all aspects of boxing sport for decades. Look for his latest book – October 2025.