'crawford Conquers Canelo To Become The Face Of Boxing'

Terence Crawford ne'er wanted to beryllium nan look of boxing. He said it successful conflict week.

But aft dismantling Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez connected Mexican Independence weekend, successful beforehand of 70,000 successful Las Vegas and a apt record-breaking world assemblage connected Netflix, he has nary choice.

It wasn't conscionable a win. It was a career-defining, legacy-cementing, history-making performance.

Crawford became nan first antheral combatant to beryllium undisputed champion crossed 3 weight divisions successful nan four-belt era.

Before nan conflict Alvarez had dismissed Crawford's resume, claiming he had "fought nobody".

Within an hr of triumph Crawford fired backmost connected societal media.

"For each nan nobodies," he said. Cue a figurative mic drop.

From his breakthrough world title against Britain's Ricky Burns astatine lightweight successful 2014 to cleaning retired light-welterweight and welterweight, and now dethroning nan sport's biggest prima astatine super-middleweight aft moving up 2 divisions, Crawford's CV gleams pinch uncommon accomplishment.

Boxing doesn't ever recognise greatness until it's gone.

But correct now we person 2 unbeaten fighters - Crawford and heavyweight Oleksandr Usyk - who are guaranteed hallway of famers. Both are successful their late-30s, proving that property is conscionable a number.

There's moreover that clip of them playing chess successful 2018. A stalemate? Perhaps. Because really do you abstracted their achievements?

The kid from Omaha who erstwhile needed counselling for his temper and who survived a shooting moved done nan ringing pinch a serene, almost unreadable focus.

All week Crawford exuded unrelenting confidence. There was nary uncertainty successful his mind.

He was relaxed and smiling passim conflict week, unfazed by nan occasion. Even erstwhile he coiled up nan Mexican fans by making his entranceway to a mariachi band, location was ne'er a flicker of uncertainty he wouldn't backmost it up.

That aforesaid calm assurance carried into nan post-fight news conference, wherever he beamed pinch satisfaction.

"When I group my sights connected doing thing and I cognize what I'm tin of, it's not for illustration a astonishment to me," Crawford said.

"It's a astonishment to you each because you each didn't judge me. I knew I could do it. I conscionable needed an opportunity."

Asked erstwhile he knew he had beaten Alvarez, Crawford coolly responded: "When he signed nan contract."

Inevitable comparisons will now beryllium drawn pinch American awesome Floyd Mayweather, but Crawford batted them away.

"Floyd was nan top of his era. I'm nan top of this era. There's nary request to compare," he said.

Alvarez arrived astatine nan news convention marked up but unbowed. "I'm going to continue," he said, swiftly putting to furniture immoderate proposal he mightiness telephone it a day.

As a teenager, nan flame-haired combatant would thrust Guadalajara's metropolis buses for hours, peddling crystal creams conscionable to thief his family get by.

His first paydays successful nan ringing were scarcely amended - a fewer dollars here, a fistful of summons income there.

In Vegas Alvarez was counting a reported purse of $150m (£111m). A man who erstwhile sold crystal creams now earns fortunes large capable to bargain factories.

Yet pinch superstardom comes scrutiny. Critics constituent to grey areas successful his career: nan debatable scorecards against Erislandy Lara and astatine slightest 1 of his trilogy bouts pinch Gennady Golovkin, fights that galore felt should person gone nan different way.

Others still garbage to move past his six-month prohibition successful 2018 aft failing 2 narcotics tests, thing Alvarez says was caused by contaminated meat.

Questions now linger complete whether Alvarez is fading. His past outing against William Scull was a alternatively below-par performance, and his ain words hint astatine nan struggle.

"Sometimes you effort and your assemblage cannot spell - that's nan frustration. I effort it and my assemblage does not fto maine go. You request to judge it," he said.

Asked what troubled him astir about Crawford, Alvarez said: "Everything. He has everything."

Netflix's world scope - a subscriber guidelines now complete 300 cardinal - intends Alvarez-Crawford was a super-fight connected a standard boxing seldom sees.

Dana White's presence, promoting Zuffa Boxing, signals UFC-style ambitions for nan athletics - exclusive contracts, centralised power and perchance less gross streams for fighters.

Perhaps guidance from nan athletics will beryllium excessively overmuch and White's task will beryllium short-lived.

Or possibly nan manufacture is shifting into a caller era and it could accelerate super-fights and bring caller audiences.

If so, it raises questions astir who genuinely benefits successful boxing's caller landscape.

But for now 1 truth is undeniable: Crawford sits firmly astatine nan summit.

He turns 38 successful little than 2 weeks, which intends he won't beryllium astir everlastingly and nights for illustration this will specify really he's remembered.

He stands arsenic nan sport's aureate boy.

Forty-two fights. Forty-two wins. Thirty-one knockouts. Five-division world champion. Three-weight undisputed.

The look of boxing.