Terence Crawford: The Greatest of All Time?
It’s time for a serious conversation about where Terence Crawford sits in the discussion of the greatest boxers of all time. Crawford, at 37 years old, widely outperformed Canelo Álvarez, securing a unanimous decision victory that crowned him undisputed super middleweight champion. With this victory, Crawford joins an exclusive club, being the first male boxer in the four-belt era to achieve undisputed status in three weight categories (super lightweight, welterweight, and super middleweight). If he were to hang up his gloves after this performance, he would retire with a record of 42-0 with 31 knockouts, being a world champion in five divisions (undisputed in three) and with a victory over the considered face of boxing. This was a very different performance from the one he delivered against Errol Spence Jr. in 2023, considered his best work before the fight with Canelo. On this occasion, instead of violently dispatching his opponent, Crawford outmaneuvered the Mexican superstar with a mastery that left him incredulous. Although the performance could be compared to the one Floyd Mayweather offered to a 23-year-old Canelo in 2013, Saturday’s victory could have been even more impressive. Crawford bewildered his opponent with agile footwork, a constant jab, brilliant punch combinations, and a resilient jaw.If Mayweather is considered the best of this generation and is established as one of the best boxers of all time, what does this mean for Crawford? Certainly, he must be in the conversation after what he did with Canelo. The pride of Omaha, Nebraska, is the first boxer since Dingaan “The Rose” Thobela to win world titles at lightweight (135 pounds) and super middleweight (168 pounds), and has never had a judge score a fight in favor of his opponent in his 17-year professional career. Mayweather did not achieve that feat despite retiring with a 50-0 record. But this is not necessarily about comparing Crawford to Mayweather; it’s about comparing Crawford to all the elite boxers of his generation who reside on or near boxing’s Mount Rushmore. If he’s not at the top, he’s right there. First of all, he is a winner. Secondly, he wins in various ways. He can deliver a violent beating, as he did against Spence, Amir Khan, and Jeff Horn, or he can box the opposition, as he demonstrated against Canelo and Viktor Postol. There is not much he cannot do and he demonstrated all facets of his game against Canelo. Nothing has stopped him: neither weight, nor age, nor skill. He is among the best pound-for-pound boxers we have seen. Crawford didn’t say he would retire from boxing after Saturday, but he has very little left to prove. He has done it all and has left few skeptics as to what he can’t do. Many thought he was overmatched when he entered the ring amid voracious boos from a mostly pro-Canelo crowd, and he left with four more belts while Canelo and his fans shook their heads in disbelief. “I’m not going to rub it in anyone’s face,” Crawford said. “I have all the proof I need right here at this table.” Who dares deny it now?I think Crawford is much better than Floyd Mayweather.
Canelo
