'Crawford conquers Canelo to become the face of boxing'
Baku, September 16, AZERTAC
Terence Crawford never wanted to be the face of boxing, according to BBC News. He said it in fight week.
But after dismantling Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez on Mexican Independence weekend, in front of 70,000 in Las Vegas and a likely record-breaking global audience on Netflix, he has no choice.
It wasn't just a win. It was a career-defining, legacy-cementing, history-making performance.
Crawford became the first male fighter to be undisputed champion across three weight divisions in the four-belt era.
Before the fight Alvarez had dismissed Crawford's resume, claiming he had "fought nobody".
Within an hour of victory Crawford fired back on social media.
"For all the nobodies," he said. Cue a figurative mic drop.
From his breakthrough world title against Britain's Ricky Burns at lightweight in 2014 to cleaning out light-welterweight and welterweight, and now dethroning the sport's biggest star at super-middleweight after moving up two divisions, Crawford's CV gleams with rare accomplishment.
Boxing doesn't always recognise greatness until it's gone.
But right now we have two unbeaten fighters - Crawford and heavyweight Oleksandr Usyk - who are guaranteed hall of famers. Both are in their late-30s, proving that age is just a number.
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