I’ve been ringside for enough fights to know when a fight’s just hype and when it’s the real deal—the kind that rewrites the sport’s DNA. Saturday night at Allegiant Stadium? That was the real deal. Terence “Bud” Crawford, the slick southpaw stud from Omaha, just schooled undisputed super middleweight champ Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez in a unanimous decision clinic that left me—and half the boxing world—reevaluating what undisputed even means anymore. Scores of 115-113, 116-112, and again 115-113 across the board. Crawford’s now 42-0, 31 KOs, with all four belts around his waist. Canelo? Drops to 63-3-2. And yeah, I’m still buzzing from it.

Let’s cut to the chase : This wasn’t the bloodbath everyone drooled over in those Netflix hype docs. No, it was chess with gloves—Crawford’s chess. The man moved up two weight classes, forfeited his WBA light middleweight strap just to make weight, and still danced circles around Canelo like he was sparring a rookie. From the jump, Bud’s footwork was poetry: slipping hooks, countering with those laser-precise lefts, and picking apart Canelo’s vaunted jab like it was yesterday’s news. Canelo landed some bombs early—those thudding body shots that had the Mexican Independence Day crowd roaring—but Crawford absorbed them, adjusted, and turned the ring into his personal lab. By round six, Canelo was lunging, frustrated, swinging at shadows while Bud picked him off with combinations that screamed, “I’ve seen this movie before.”

Don’t get me wrong—Canelo’s a warrior (literally my favorite boxer). The guy’s chin is granite, his power’s nuclear, and at 35, he’s still got that fire that made him a global icon. But here’s the gut punch: He looked mortal. Slow on the draw, predictable in his pressure, like the years of megafights and that Mayweather masterclass finally caught up. Crawford, 37 and fresh off dismantling Errol Spence, exposed the cracks. This was legacy vs. legacy, but Bud’s the one who walked out with the undisputed crown, proving size ain’t everything when you’ve got IQ for days.

And the undercard? Solid fuel for the fire. Mohammed Alakel stayed undefeated with a dominant UD over Travis Kent Crawford (no relation, thank God), while knockouts from Reito Tsutsumi, Raiko Santana, and Marco Verde had the prelims popping like fireworks. Netflix streamed the whole shebang—no PPV greed, just pure access—and pulled 41 million viewers worldwide. That’s not just a number; that’s boxing finally catching up to the streaming era, baby.

So what’s next? Canelo’s camp is already talking rematch, and hell, I’d pay to see it. But Crawford? He’s eyeing the horizon—maybe a crack at the light heavyweights, middleweight or just cashing in on that Riyadh Season payday.

This fight wasn’t the end of an era; it was the spark for a new one. Bud showed us that technique trumps torque, smarts beat slugging. Boxing’s better for it—grittier, smarter, hungrier. If you’re not buzzing yet, lace up and rewatch. Trust me, you’ll get it.

There. That’s my take—raw, unfiltered, and ready for round two. What’s yours? Drop it in the comments.

By Vincent

Photos courtesy of Netflix and the Ring