Terence Crawford: A Historic Challenge against Canelo Álvarez
Terence Crawford, known as “Bud”, has made history in boxing by becoming a world champion. In March 2014, he surprised by defeating Ricky Burns on his own turf, winning the WBO lightweight title. At 26 years old, Crawford promised a bright future in the 135-pound division.
After defending his title twice, Crawford moved up to the super lightweight division, where he made an immediate impact. In April 2015, he won the vacant WBO title by defeating Thomas Dulorme by technical knockout in the sixth round. With two belts to his name, Crawford began a rising career that has led him to win championships in four different weight classes.
Although he doesn’t hold the record for titles won in multiple divisions, which belongs to Manny Pacquiao, Crawford’s ambition has transcended physical limitations. Since his victory against Burns, he has been an elite pound-for-pound boxer, with all his fights since then with at least one title at stake, including a knockout in 2017 against Julius Indongo, which made him the undisputed super lightweight champion.In July 2023, Crawford starred in one of boxing’s most important fights, facing Errol Spence Jr. Although the odds favored Spence, Crawford put on a dominant display, knocking his opponent down three times and winning by technical knockout in the ninth round, making him the undisputed welterweight champion and the first four-belt champion in two weight classes.
Now, Crawford seeks a third undisputed title on Saturday by facing Canelo Álvarez, who holds all the belts in the super middleweight division. This division is for boxers of 168 pounds, 14 pounds more than the super lightweight division, where Crawford is champion. This implies that Crawford will move up two weight classes to challenge the biggest star in boxing.
This feat is impressive, though not unprecedented. Canelo, before winning his current titles, unified three titles at middleweight. He also won a light heavyweight title (175 pounds) by defeating Sergey Kovalev in 2019. Canelo knows what it’s like to fight in heavier categories, but he hasn’t experienced such a significant rise all at once.
Throughout boxing history, few have attempted what Crawford is proposing. However, the sport has seen great names take bold steps. Here are some memorable examples:
Henry Armstrong vs. Barney Ross
On May 31, 1938, at Madison Square Garden in New York, Armstrong, featherweight champion (126 pounds), challenged Ross for his welterweight title (147 pounds), which represented two divisions of difference at that time, but today would be four. Armstrong, a distinguished figure in boxing, made history in a span of nine months. First, he knocked out Petey Sarron on October 29, 1937, becoming the featherweight champion. Then, on May 31, he defeated Barney Ross for the welterweight title, skipping the lightweight category. Less than three months later, on August 17, he dropped to 135 pounds to defeat Lou Ambers for the lightweight title. At that time, Armstrong reigned simultaneously in three categories, something that no one has replicated.
