Terence Crawford makes bold claim about Canelo Alvarez

Terence Crawford said Canelo Alvarez did not hit as hard as he thought after a victory on unanimous decision victory on Saturday night.

Crawford made history by beating Alvarez by a unanimous decision in Las Vegas to become the undisputed super middleweight champion of the world.

The unbeaten 37-year-old Crawford handed a defeat to the Mexican star boxer in front of over 70,000 fiercely pro-Alvarez crowd at Allegiant Stadium after moving two weight classes up.

The judges scored it 116-112, 115-113 and 115-113 in favour of Crawford, who is undefeated with 42-0 with 31 knockouts.

Omaha-native, Crawford has become the first male fighter in boxing’s long history to win an undisputed title in three weight classes, having already done so at super-lightweight and welterweight.

Speaking after the bout, Crawford, who is known for his technical ability and adaptability, said he and his team crafted a simple yet effective game plan to neutralise Canelo.

“I wanted to come out orthodox, but my coaches is just telling me your southpaw is going to kill him,” Crawford said.

“He’s not going to get past the jab. His feet are slow. Keep turning him. And that’s what we did tonight. We knew what he was trying to do with wide hooks.

“I think he knew I was fighter than he thought I was, so if he threw a lot of jabs, I was going to counter him, and I think he just respected my power.”

Reflecting on Canelo Alvarez’s power, Terence Crawford said the Mexican did not hit as hard as he thought.

He said Canelo is technical, but I have hit him harder today.

“He didn’t hit as hard as I thought he was,” Crawford said.

“He’s definitely technical, but I’ve been hit harder.”