Canelo vs Crawford: 10 Key Fights in Their Boxing Careers

Canelo vs. Crawford: A Clash of Titans in the Ring

On September 13th, the boxing world will stand still as two of the best pugilists of today, Canelo Álvarez and Terence Crawford, face each other. This battle will define who is the best pound-for-pound boxer, after six years of competition for the coveted ranking position. Terence “Bud” Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) will move up two weight classes to challenge Canelo, who has been the highest-earning boxer in the last decade. Despite Canelo’s great appeal, he will face an opponent who surpasses him in the pound-for-pound rankings. Crawford, however, has had less activity, with only one fight per year since 2020. His most recent fight was a decision victory over Israil Madrimov in August 2024. If Crawford defeats Canelo, he would become the only boxer in the four-belt era to be undisputed champion in three weight classes, solidifying his status as one of the best in the world. For Canelo (63-3-3, 39 KOs), who had a less-than-brilliant performance in his recent decision victory over William Scull in May, beating Crawford could boost him from his current position at number 8 in the rankings.

Detailed Analysis of Canelo and Crawford’s Careers

Here’s an analysis of the best performances, most impactful knockouts, most dominant fights, moments of difficulty, and most important matches of both boxers.

Canelo’s Best Performance

Gennadiy “GGG” Golovkin 3, unanimous decision victorySeptember 17, 2022 – T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas.

The final fight of the trilogy with Golovkin, four years after their second encounter, was not as exciting as the first two. Although Canelo emerged as the clear winner over GGG, this fight is remembered as his most significant victory. By defeating Golovkin, Canelo responded to his decision loss to Dmitry Bivol at light heavyweight. Álvarez retained his undisputed super middleweight title with cards of 115-113, 115-113, and 116-112.

“Everyone knows this is a high-level class. This is the best boxer in boxing. Everyone knows who Canelo is. This fight is more tactical. Today, Canelo is better. Congratulations to Canelo”.

Gennadiy Golovkin

This victory put an end to the controversies over the draw in 2017 and the majority decision in favor of Canelo in 2018.

Crawford’s Best Performance

Errol Spence Jr., TKO in the ninth round

July 29, 2023 – T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas.

Crawford offered a technical masterclass, knocking down his biggest rival three times and achieving a technical knockout victory in the ninth round. Although Spence underwent cataract surgery six months later, this does not diminish “Bud’s” outstanding performance. Crawford outboxed Spence with his counterpunching and sent him to the canvas in the second round with a left-right combination, and again in the seventh with a right hook. Crawford punished Spence with punches until the fight was stopped in the ninth round. Crawford’s knockout victories over former welterweight champions Kell Brook and Shawn Porter boosted his reputation through 2020 and 2021, reaching its peak with the victory over Spence to become the undisputed welterweight champion. This was Crawford’s only mega-fight before his match with Canelo, compared to the eight Canelo has had. In 2023, Crawford started and ended the year as the number 1 pound-for-pound boxer, with his speed, ring intelligence, and defense, surpassing any other in welterweight. The victory over Spence consolidated his position.

Canelo’s Best KO

Sergey Kovalev, KO in the eleventh roundNovember 2, 2019 – MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas.

Canelo delivered a brilliant KO. After avoiding the initial danger, he patiently waited for the opportune moment. Canelo weakened Kovalev’s legs with a left hook in the eleventh round, and sent him to the canvas with a right hand. What makes this knockout even more impressive is that Canelo moved up two weight divisions to achieve his best KO finish against a renowned puncher and light heavyweight world champion. Álvarez, then middleweight champion, moved up 15 pounds to win the WBO light heavyweight belt. Considering the opponent, this brilliant KO was superior to those achieved against James Kirkland, Amir Khan, Caleb Plant, and Liam Smith. This historic victory also made Canelo, at 29 years old, a world champion in a fourth weight category, matching Mexican legends Juan Manuel Márquez, Erik “Terrible” Morales and Jorge “Travieso” Arce.

Crawford’s Best KO

Yuriorkis Gamboa, TKO in the ninth roundJune 28, 2014 – CenturyLink Center, Omaha, Nebraska.

In his first defense of the world title, Crawford stopped Gamboa in the ninth round. Gamboa went down four times in total, but the fight was not easy for Crawford. Gamboa, who entered the fight undefeated, showed courage and aggression, which made this a very intense fight. The Cuban boxer, Olympic gold medalist in 2004, won the first rounds and was at his best when Crawford achieved the first knockdown in the fifth round. Crawford knocked Gamboa down again with excellent punches in the eighth. But the best of all was a right uppercut in the ninth round that knocked Gamboa down and knocked him out.

Canelo’s Most Important Fight

Gennadiy Golovkin 1, split draw

September 16, 2017 – T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas. Although this fight generated criticism for Canelo, it propelled him to achieve better performances and knockouts. The controversial split draw (one judge scored the fight 118-110 for Canelo and then retired as a judge) was the motivation Canelo needed to win two more fights against Golovkin and conquer two weight divisions. Canelo’s three fights against Golovkin are among the most important of his career, as Canelo overcame one of the best middleweight champions in boxing history and responded to criticism. In the lead-up to the first fight, Golovkin-Canelo was compared to the exciting and fierce middleweight title fight between Marvin Hagler and Thomas Hearns in 1985. But Canelo didn’t engage enough for the fight to be a classic, and Golovkin didn’t land the clean punches that had knocked out 33 of his previous 37 professional opponents up to that point. Álvarez tried to counter Golovkin, who was the aggressor and more active.

Canelo was affected by the public’s reaction to the first fight, which included booing from some of his own fans after the announcement of the draw. This led him to improve his game in the rematch a year later, obtaining scores of 115-113 twice, with a third score of 114-114.

Crawford’s Most Important Fight

Ricky Burns, unanimous decision victoryMarch 1, 2014 – SEC Centre, Glasgow, Scotland.

Crawford arrived in Glasgow to challenge local hero Burns for the WBO lightweight title with a reputation as a talented prospect, but was still relatively unknown. Crawford, then 26 years old, dominated from the fourth round to win with scores of 116-112, 117-111 and 116-112, while Burns suffered his first defeat in 10 world title fights in front of a crowd of 10,000 fans. Crawford was in excellent form in his first world title fight. He returned home with his reputation enhanced after overcoming Burns and securing a victory that would propel a career that has seen him win world titles in four weight classes. Other title-winning performances were also important in Crawford’s career, but a loss to Burns would have delayed his arrival at the top. That was the fight that started it all. Crawford was serene and elegant throughout, too fast and clever for Burns in Crawford’s first and only professional fight outside the United States, and in his first 12-round fight.

“You can see why he’s considered the next big thing in the United States; the better man won that night. He was always coming in and out. I was overreaching and he was connecting with counter-punches”.

Ricky Burns

Canelo’s Most Dominant Victory

Billy Joe Saunders, TKO in the eighth round

May 8, 2021 – AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas Canelo won first place when he beat Saunders in a super middleweight title unification fight. A devastating right uppercut in the eighth round closed Saunders’ right eye and caused enough damage for his corner to stop the fight before the ninth round. Álvarez enjoyed the eighth round, saluting the fanatics in the crowd of 73,126 (a record for an indoor boxing event) while inflicting damage that forced Saunders to undergo surgery to repair a fracture in his right orbital bone. At the time of the stoppage, Saunders was down 78-74, 77-75 and 78-74 on the scorecards. This victory allowed Álvarez to add the WBO title to his WBC and WBA super-middleweight belts.

Crawford’s Most Dominant Victory

Amir Khan, TKO in the sixth round

April 20, 2019 – Madison Square Garden, New York Crawford’s victories over David Avanesyan and Jeff Horn were also dominant, but the knockout in the sixth round of Khan stands out because Crawford dominated a boxer with faster hands and movements. Crawford dominated from the opening bell, knocking Khan down in the first round. Then, Crawford delivered a beating in the following rounds, and when Khan received an intentional low blow from Crawford in the sixth round, Khan’s corner rescued him from further punishment. Crawford was leading on the scorecards 49-45, 50-44, and 49-45 at the time of the stoppage. It was a one-sided victory and showed Crawford at his best. The first knockdown began with a right-hand counter as Crawford combined power, speed, and ring intelligence, reading Khan’s jab. Crawford baffled Khan as he switched stances, and his pinpoint accuracy allowed him to land twice as many punches (88 to 44, according to CompuBox). By defeating Khan in six rounds, Crawford matched the feats of Álvarez, who had also defeated Khan in six rounds three years earlier.

Canelo’s Most Disappointing Performance

William Scull, unanimous decisionMay 3, 2025 – ANB Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Instead of being one of his two defeats against Mayweather and Bivol, Canelo’s most disappointing performance came in a fight he comfortably won earlier this year. His most recent outing was an anticlimactic victory that earned him widespread criticism. This was a sleep-inducing affair, as Alvarez cruised to a unanimous decision victory over Scull to become undisputed super middleweight champion for the second time. It amounted to a disappointing debut in Saudi Arabia for Alvarez after signing a multi-million dollar deal with Riyadh Season. Alvarez landed a meager 152 punches, as he failed to shine in a forgettable fight. According to CompuBox, Alvarez’s total punches were the second fewest in a 12-round fight in the company’s 40-year history. Instead of Scull’s performance being evidence of Álvarez’s decline, it was likely that Álvarez did just enough to get by and prepare for the fight with Crawford, whom he met face-to-face in the ring moments after dealing with Scull.

Crawford’s Most Disappointing Performance

Israil Madrimov, unanimous decision victoryAugust 3, 2024 – BMO Stadium, Los Angeles

In a tactical chess game, Crawford scored unanimous scores of 116-112, 115-113, and 115-113 to become a four-division champion. Despite the victory, Crawford sounded disappointed afterward.

“I’m not going to lie,” Crawford said. “He’s strong… he took me to the 12th round… This guy is big. He was disciplined. He didn’t come in throwing wild punches like I intended.”

Terence Crawford

It was the first time Crawford went the distance since Viktor Postol took him to 12 rounds in July 2016. Crawford’s jab was effective and he won the later rounds, but Madrimov had success early on with straight right hands. When Crawford fights against a bigger opponent in Álvarez, he will expect to show a more solid defense.