Terence Crawford insisted his victory over Canelo Alvarez was no accident, as he underlined his place among boxing’s greats by becoming the undisputed super-middleweight champion in Las Vegas.
“I’m not here by coincidence,” Crawford said after his unanimous decision triumph at Allegiant Stadium, where 70,000 fans witnessed him collect the WBO, WBC, IBF and WBA titles.
“Canelo is a great champion. I have to take my hat off to him, he’s a strong competitor and I have nothing but respect for him. He fought like a champion.”
Crawford, who moved up two weight classes to face Alvarez, produced a controlled, intelligent performance that neutralised the Mexican’s power.
He was adamant that his skill and strength made the difference.
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The better man
“I knew I won when the last bell rang,” he said. “God doesn’t make mistakes and I’m here for a reason, I’ve been telling you that all week.
“I don’t think he was less conditioned or anything, he was a thousand per cent prepared, I just think I was the better man. I was stronger, I punched harder and that was it.”
The Omaha-born fighter dismissed concerns that stepping up in weight would leave him vulnerable.
“A lot of people put too much into me moving up,” he argued. “Canelo is not a big guy, he’s a smaller guy fighting in a big weight class.
“Me and him are practically the same size, he’s a little shorter. I’ve been hit harder (than Canelo hit).”
In control
Crawford explained that he felt comfortable from the opening rounds, adding on Sky Sports: “I felt like I was in control in the first three rounds, like he was trying to figure me out.
“He was a little frustrated in there but that’s part of the game.”
When pressed on his future, the 37-year-old refused to be drawn.
“I don’t know, I’ve got to sit down with my team and we’re going to talk about it,” he said, before turning his attention to those who had followed his journey.
“I just want to say thank you to all of the supporters, thank you to all the haters, I appreciate every one of you all. You made this a great event.”
Judges scored the contest 116-112, 115-113, 115-113.
Risky business
And Canelo took the defeat on the chin, saying on Sky Sports: “I feel great. I want to thank everyone that came to support. I’m a winner for being here.
“The fact I’m here makes me a winner. I take risks and that’s what I did.
“I feel great to share the ring with great fighters like him. If we do it again then it’ll be great.
“I already accomplished a lot in boxing. My legacy is already there and I like taking risks because I love boxing.
“I feel strong. Crawford is a great fighter, a skilled fighter.”
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