Terence Crawford outboxes Canelo Álvarez to become undisputed in a third division

On 13 September 2025, before 70,482 people at Allegiant Stadium, Terence Crawford climbed two weight classes and took every major super middleweight belt from Canelo Álvarez with a unanimous decision. The win made him the first male boxer to become undisputed champion in three divisions in the four-belt era. Three months after that night he retired, still unbeaten.

A Fight That Nearly Fell Apart Before It Was Made

The first reports of a Saúl "Canelo" Álvarez vs. Terence Crawford fight came out in January 2025. A month later the idea went quiet while Álvarez's camp talked about a possible bout with Jake Paul. It came back to life once Álvarez signed a four-fight agreement with Riyadh Season, the entertainment arm led by Turki Alalshikh. Álvarez beat William Scull in Saudi Arabia on 4 May, and the two men faced off afterwards. The fight was officially confirmed in June.

The business side was unusual for a fight this size. Riyadh Season co-promoted with Zuffa Boxing, the new boxing venture run by Dana White under TKO. The card was not sold as a pay-per-view. Netflix streamed it worldwide to its subscribers. The date fell on Mexican Independence Day weekend, and the location was a football stadium outside Las Vegas that had never staged a boxing event.

Purse figures were never confirmed officially. In May, Crawford said he would earn $10 million, but Wikipedia's account of the fight notes that insiders doubted this and put his real total closer to $50 million. Álvarez was reported to be in line for as much as $150 million, at least $80 million of it from Riyadh Season. These are reported figures and should be read that way.

Two Champions Meeting at 167.5 Pounds

The records showed how big a step Crawford was taking. Álvarez, 35, came in at 63-2-2 with 39 knockouts. He held the WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO titles at 168 pounds, and the more recent of his two losses had come against Dmitrii Bivol in 2022. Crawford, 37, was 41-0 with 31 knockouts. He had been undisputed champion at junior welterweight and at welterweight, and he had last fought at 154 pounds. Going straight to super middleweight meant jumping two divisions.

At the weigh-in both men came in at 167.5 pounds, the heaviest Crawford had ever weighed for a fight. During fight week he denied rumours that he had a shoulder injury and said he was carrying the weight naturally. The betting market moved toward him as the fight got closer. Álvarez had been more than a 2-1 favourite when the bout was announced and was around -165 by fight week, with Crawford at +135. Neither fighter had been knocked down in a combined 765 professional rounds.

The stakes went beyond the belts. A Crawford win would make him the first male fighter to be undisputed in three weight classes since the four-belt era began. Wikipedia's account also connects that feat to Henry Armstrong's three-division run in 1938. The Ring magazine's championship was on the line as well.

Inside the Ring at Allegiant Stadium

Referee Thomas Taylor was in charge, and judges Tim Cheatham, Steve Weisfeld and Max DeLuca sat ringside. Crawford fought the whole night as a southpaw. Álvarez went after the body early. Crawford answered with his jab and counters and kept moving.

The opening rounds had few big exchanges. Sky Sports described the first eight rounds as low on action, with Crawford quicker and more athletic and Álvarez landing a few body shots. Álvarez had his first clear moment in the fourth, when a right hand snapped Crawford's head back. He had his best early spell in the fifth. In the sixth Crawford landed a clean hook that pushed the champion backwards. Taylor also warned Álvarez for a low blow in that round but did not take a point.

The ninth was the busiest round of the fight. Crawford threw combinations, and a clash of heads, which Sky Sports called a headbutt by Álvarez, opened a cut over Crawford's right eye and forced a short pause in the action. Crawford came back to land well in the exchanges that followed. In the final rounds Álvarez pushed forward looking for one punch to change the result. Al Jazeera's report said he never landed it, as Crawford controlled distance and threw quick flurries. Crawford took the eleventh and twelfth on most accounts and was never seriously hurt. There were no knockdowns.

Three Scorecards for Crawford

All three judges scored it for the challenger. Weisfeld had it 116-112, and Cheatham and DeLuca both had it 115-113. Crawford left with the WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO titles and The Ring championship, and his record moved to 42-0. Álvarez dropped to 63-3-2. It was his first loss since the Bivol fight three years earlier.

The punch statistics did not agree with each other. CompuBox had Crawford landing 115 punches to Álvarez's 99 and leading in jabs 45 to 16, with Álvarez ahead in power punches, 83 to 70. Jabbr.ai, an AI-based tracking service, showed a much wider gap, with Crawford landing 172 of 552 and Álvarez 68 of 338. Both counts had Crawford ahead overall. They differed on how far ahead he was.

In the ring afterwards, Crawford said Álvarez had "fought like a champion," according to Al Jazeera. Álvarez accepted the loss without excuses. He told reporters, "I'm a winner for being here," and said he keeps taking big risks because he loves the sport.

A Record Night for Las Vegas

The announced crowd of 70,482 broke the Las Vegas boxing attendance record of 29,214, set at Larry Holmes vs. Gerry Cooney in 1982. It was also the largest crowd for any event at Allegiant Stadium. The reported gate of $47,231,887 set a single-day record for the venue. Netflix's global audience was put at more than 41.4 million viewers, which Wikipedia lists as the most-watched men's championship fight of the century so far.

On the undercard, Christian Mbilli and Lester Martínez met for the WBC interim super middleweight title. Al Jazeera reported the result as a draw, and Wikipedia's account lists it as a split decision, so the sources describe that result differently. Callum Walsh beat Fernando Vargas Jr. in another televised bout.

Belts, Surgery and a Retirement

The aftermath moved quickly. On 30 September, ESPN reported that Álvarez would have elbow surgery, scheduled for 23 October. It said he would be out for at least two months and would not return until the second quarter of 2026, which pushed back a fight that had been pencilled in for February. In a December article, The Ring described the operation as hand surgery. That is one of several points where reports from these weeks do not match.

Crawford's hold on the full set of belts did not last. In early December the WBC stripped him of its title, and Wikipedia's account says the dispute was over $300,000 in unpaid sanctioning fees. On the Álvarez side, trainer Eddy Reynoso said his fighter wanted a rematch in September 2026. That plan ended on 16 December 2025, when Crawford, now 38, announced in a YouTube video that he was retiring. According to The Ring, he said, "This sport gave me everything."

He finished his career at 42-0 with 31 knockouts, and the Álvarez win was his last fight. For Álvarez, the night in Las Vegas was the third defeat of his professional career. As of the sources consulted, the decision in Crawford's favour stands as the final word between the two.

Sources

• Canelo Álvarez vs. Terence Crawford, Wikipedia, accessed 13 November 2026
• Crawford beats Alvarez to win boxing's undisputed super middleweight title, Al Jazeera (AP), 14 September 2025
• Terence Crawford stuns Canelo Alvarez in Las Vegas to become undisputed world super-middleweight champion, Sky Sports, 14 September 2025
• Canelo Álvarez to have elbow surgery, out at least 2 months, ESPN, 30 September 2025
• Terence Crawford, 38, retires from boxing three months after beating Canelo Alvarez, Keith Idec, The Ring, 16 December 2025