On Sept. 13, Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez, the defending champion of the super middleweight division, battled Terence Crawford, a four-division champion, for the new super middleweight championship. The fight, advertised with titles such as “Once in a Lifetime” and “There can Only be One,” drew in 41 million viewers.
Many predictions viewed Canelo as the more physically dominant competitor since he was fighting at his natural weight. Early in the fight, Canelo’s dominance was prevalent as his footwork controlled the fight. Crawford started out very opportunistic, allowing Canelo to move in the ring while looking for chances to work in his jab.
In the sixth round, Crawford took a stronger stance and didn’t allow himself to get pushed back. A powerful cross from Crawford signified a shift in the fight. The intensity changed from the seventh to ninth round as the exchanges grew heated with a stronger presence from Crawford. Canelo began making a comeback later in the fight, but it wasn’t enough. Crawford won the fight by unanimous decision.
Students who watched the match offered their opinions on how the fight went. Senior Martin Mirza was surprised by the outcome of the fight but was glad Crawford pulled through.
“I’m happy Crawford won. I wanted him to win but everyone thought he would lose. The fight was a crazy upset. Canelo was getting [beat] the whole fight. He kind of did try to come back at the end, but it wasn’t enough,” Mirza said.
Other students had different perspectives. Senior Shaylen Patel wasn’t rooting for either fighter; he just wanted to see an entertaining battle.
“I was very excited. It was a big fight between two big fighters so I thought it was going to be a great experience. I thought it was good. It was very unexpected because Canelo is one of the greatest boxers of all time. Crawford having to step up two weight classes was crazy, too. It’s pretty impressive he was able to beat Canelo with such a big disadvantage,” Patel said.
The fight between Canelo and Crawford was monumental in the world of boxing. Crawford has now been crowned one of the greats. As an aging fighter, he has little left to prove, and he is forever immortalized.
Just as fast as Crawford won the fight, the world of boxing is already moving on to the next event.
“I can’t wait for Gervonta Davis and Jake Paul. It’s gonna be such a great fight. I hope Jake Paul loses, though, because I like Gervonta as a fighter and I don’t really like Jake Paul,” senior Dylan Nicolas said.
