“The One” and the Legacy of Boxing: A Look at the Fight of the Year
Carl Washington, coach, states with conviction: “I was the one who pushed him to go after Canelo.” These words resonate just three months before what could be the most significant fight of the year, and perhaps, the last of its kind. Washington is referring to Terence Crawford, whom he calls “Bud.” The excitement is palpable, as this is the battle Crawford has longed for years: an opportunity to prove his greatness. And what better rival than the contemporary face of the sport, Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez? If anyone knows the path Crawford was supposed to follow, it’s Washington. He is the man behind the boxing gym in downtown Omaha, who, almost three decades ago, asked the boy who lived behind his house if he wanted to box. That boy was Bud.While Washington talks, young boxers slowly fill their gym, the CW Boxing Club, for another day of training. Some are professionals, but most are amateurs. They all dream of being world champions, and they all agree that being from Nebraska sometimes means being underestimated. Washington recounts how Bud was a relentless child, sharing the story of the first time Crawford got into the ring, filled with frustration and rage to tears. Taking off his gloves, he wanted to fight his opponent bare-knuckled. “Bud just started hitting him, he didn’t want to stop,” Washington recalls, pointing to a corner of the ring. Crawford, who now has his own gym in North Omaha, stopped training at the CW Boxing Club a long time ago, but that’s where it all began. For a long time, few outside of Omaha knew his name. Managers and promoters told Crawford that to advance his career, he had to leave Nebraska. But he stayed, surrounding himself with people who also started there. And for years, everyone waited for a fight like this. The politics of professional boxing often hindered Crawford from important fights. His unique talent was evident: a boxer with supreme intelligence, capable of switching from orthodox to southpaw mid-rounds. But without opportunities to fight the best, it was difficult to demonstrate his true potential. In the fight against Canelo, at 37 years old, he finally had the opportunity to participate in the kind of fight he had been waiting for. Washington guides him through a maze of walls that, like everything in his gym, he has built with his own hands. He stops in front of what appears to be a secular shrine dedicated to Crawford, with photographs and newspaper clippings from his years as an amateur and young professional. It includes a framed sheet with the title “Team Crawford”, with photos of nine men and Crawford at the top. Below each photo, a phrase explains how many years they were at the CW Boxing Gym. The oldest photo of Crawford shows him as a child, learning to box. He wears a white t-shirt and gloves too big for his hands. His eyes radiate innocence and intensity. Washington has two copies of that photo. One hangs in the gym he has run for almost half a century. The other is kept in the family Bible. It’s the King James Version, with the black cover worn from daily use. Although no one in the family knows exactly when they got it, they know it’s older than the photograph it protects.Canelo Álvarez, at the UFC gym in Reno, Nevada, requests that the air conditioning be turned off. Three weeks remain until the biggest fight of the year, the most watched of his career. Canelo, the face of boxing for a dozen years, has transformed his name into a global brand. His manager, Richard Schaefer, is sure that he will soon be a multi-millionaire. The fight against Crawford, described as the “Fight of the Century”, could generate hundreds of millions of dollars. The risk of injury could jeopardize one of the few fights Canelo has left. The ring, installed over the group class space, is inside a gym closed to its members due to Canelo’s presence. Attendees observe Canelo’s every move, from jumping rope to hitting the punching bag. Canelo has achieved a fame from which it is impossible to escape. That’s why he uses a single name and trains in the Sierra Nevada mountains, seeking the tranquility and elevation that benefit his lungs. His Mexican heritage plays an important role in his success, as boxing, to a large extent, has become a Latin, mainly Mexican, sport.“I said to him: ‘Do you know what your dream fight would be?'” Washington continues. “‘Canelo. Then you and your grandchildren can retire'”.
Carl Washington
Outside the ring, this fight is crucial because it will be broadcast on Netflix, with over 300 million global subscribers, which increases its magnitude. It is also important because, despite the disadvantages, Crawford has the ability to win. For Canelo, at the end of his career, losing would be devastating.In Reno, a few minutes from where Canelo trained, there is a historical marker on E. 4th Street. This place was the scene of one of the most important boxing matches: Jack Johnson against Jim Jeffries on July 4, 1910. The fight, marked by racial tension, took place in the midst of a country that was still defining itself. Reno became the venue because the governor of California refused to allow it, arguing that boxing corrupted public morals and fearing what might happen if Johnson, a Black man, won. The city, in need of boosting its economy, saw the fight as an opportunity. In the infancy of boxing, fights were held in secret locations. The 1897 fight between James J. Corbett and Bob Fitzsimmons changed everything. The Johnson-Jeffries fight, with more than 20,000 spectators, marked a turning point in boxing history. Johnson defeated Jeffries. Johnson’s victory triggered race riots. In Walla Walla, a black man was assaulted. In Omaha, two black men were shot. In New York, a black man was hanged. At least 20 people died and hundreds were injured. The wooden amphitheater has disappeared, as have most of the surrounding buildings. The weathered historical marker is the only physical reminder of what was.Henry R. Luce, in his editorial in Life magazine in 1941, urged Americans to embrace a future in which the United States was the world power. He proposed the “American Era”, which involved devotion to American ideals, economic determinism, and the role of the United States as a good Samaritan, sharing its talents in engineering, medicine, education, and entertainment. Seven months later, Joe Louis, the second heavyweight boxing champion, appeared on the cover of Time magazine. The fights drew massive crowds to the radio.“Water,” whispers John “Juanito” Ornelas, struggling to breathe in the stifling heat. At the Dynamite Boxing Club, coach Gilbert Roybal gives him water and unties his gloves. Ornelas and Roybal are proud to have won everything in this business. They dream of fighting in Las Vegas, on a night like Canelo-Crawford.“This will be one of the most important fights I’ve had. I think it will be the biggest”
Canelo Álvarez
Ornelas shares his motivation: to honor his brother, Pablo Armenta, who dreamed of being a champion and fighting in Las Vegas. Ornelas seeks to fulfill that dream. In Las Vegas, where the lights don’t shine so brightly, is the Johnny Tocco boxing gym, closed to the public for three years. A mile and a half away, at the Fontainebleau, today’s boxers train. For most, the gym seems out of place, except for one.Canelo arrives in a black Rolls-Royce, dressed in a white suit without a shirt. He greets the promoters, the matchmakers, and enters the Fontainebleau Las Vegas. In the lobby, a man shouts “Long live Mexico, cab—-s!”, and the crowd celebrates, waving Mexican flags. Crawford receives a different reaction, being booed by Canelo fans. Crawford responds with a smile and confidence: “I love you all, but on Saturday you’re going to cry.” Canelo’s presence is omnipresent: at the airport, on t-shirts, and on the giant screens that illuminate the city. Boxing history is the search for saviors. Sometimes, the big fights are a mix of championships and spectacles, like those held on holidays such as Cinco de Mayo and Mexican Independence Day. At the Fontainebleau, the atmosphere is different from the old gym. Tourism has decreased, affecting the local economy. Inside, the concern seems exaggerated, but outside, in the old building, the feeling is that something has broken, as if Canelo vs. Crawford were the last great fight of the American century.Jerry Izenberg, at 95 years old, has witnessed countless important fights. He remembers the 1938 rematch between Joe Louis and Max Schmeling, which was more than a fight, a historical event. Izenberg has covered all the big fights since then. Izenberg recounts how Louis had to join the circus to earn money, and how Muhammad Ali was one of his best friends. He reflects on how boxing has changed and on the loss of access that journalists had before.“We are going to surprise the world”
John “Juanito” Ornelas
In the night of the most important event of the year, two boxers fight at Allegiant Stadium, although the stands are mostly empty. Mohammed Alakel fights in the red corner. Juanito Ornelas, who was supposed to be in the blue corner, is not there. Ornelas recounts how, instead of preparing for the opportunity of his life, he received an unexpected call that changed his plans. He was offered money to be replaced.“Nothing is as it was”
Jerry Izenberg
Ornelas wandered around Las Vegas on the day of the fight, with his family and friends who had traveled to see him. Alakel defeated Travis Kent Crawford in a unanimous decision. Ornelas did not see the fight, but imagined being in the ring.Technological evolution and the transmission of fights have gone hand in hand. The Corbett and Fitzsimmons fight of 1897 was filmed, and the original recording of more than two hours is considered the first feature film. After cinema came radio, and in 1921, the fight between Jack Dempsey and Georges Carpentier was the first major fight broadcast on radio. Boxing had a star even bigger than Babe Ruth. From telegrams to newspapers, from cinema to radio, from television to closed-circuit transmissions and then to pay-per-view. In 2018, streaming joined this progression with Canelo, with a $365 million contract with DAZN.Canelo in the red corner, Crawford in the blue. The anticipation before the initial bell rings is incomparable. Months of promotion, documentaries, and the paraphernalia of the presentations fade away. The bell rings, and there are two men fighting.“I took the money. What else could I do?”
Juanito Ornelas
There’s a moment in all fights when you can see the boxers fully understand their opponent. For Crawford, that moment came in the middle rounds. It was when Canelo’s size, power, and strength, which were supposed to be his advantages, were felt, rather than just something he could…
