Terence Crawford walked into a wall of noise in Las Vegas on Friday night, as thousands of Mexican fans turned Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez’s ceremonial weigh-in into a partisan fiesta.
Crawford, who is daring to jump up two weight divisions for the blockbuster clash, was relentlessly booed by Canelo’s supporters at the T-Mobile Arena. With Mexican flags waving and chants echoing like a football stadium, the weigh-in felt more like a coronation for the champion than a pre-fight formality.
The official weigh-in had been staged quietly behind closed doors at the Fontainebleau earlier in the day, where both fighters hit the mark. Canelo, 35, and Crawford, 37, each weighed in at just under the 12st (75kg) super-middleweight limit, with Crawford coming in half a pound lighter.
It was the sight of Crawford, shredded and visibly chiselled despite the bulked-up weight, that reminded fans why Saturday’s fight carries such intrigue.
The undefeated American from Nebraska is bidding to make history as the first male boxer to become an undisputed champion in three separate weight classes in the modern era.
Canelo, meanwhile, stands as the immovable obstacle, the WBA (Super), WBC, IBF and WBO super-middleweight king, and Mexico’s most beloved active fighter.
