Terence “Bud” Crawford etched his name into the annals of boxing history on Saturday night in Las Vegas, defeating Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez by unanimous decision to become the undisputed super-middleweight champion of the world.
The victory, delivered before 70,000 fans on Mexican Independence weekend and a global audience on Netflix, elevated Crawford into rarified territory. With the win, the 36-year-old American from Omaha became the first male fighter in the four-belt era to claim undisputed status in three different weight divisions.
Crawford, who had downplayed talk of being the sport’s new poster boy in the build-up, found himself thrust into that very role with a clinical, career-defining performance that many are calling a legacy moment.
“This wasn’t just a win, it was history,” boxing analysts noted ringside. “He dismantled Canelo on the biggest stage possible.”
Álvarez had dismissed Crawford’s résumé in the days leading to the fight, insisting he had “fought nobody.” Crawford wasted no time responding after his triumph. “For all the nobodies,” he posted on social media, in a mic-drop moment that went viral.
Despite the heated pre-fight exchanges, Crawford showed respect to his opponent. “Canelo is a great champion. I’ve got to take my hat off to him. He’s a strong competitor, and I’ve always been a big fan of his. He fought like a champion today,” he said.
When asked about his future, Crawford remained cautious. “I don’t know. I’ve got to sit down with my team and talk about it. I just want to say thank you to all the supporters — and thank you to the haters. I appreciate all of y’all.”
For now, Crawford stands alone, a three-division undisputed champion and arguably the pound-for-pound king of world boxing.
