Crawford conquers Alvarez to become undisputed super middleweight champ

Terence Crawford clinched a unanimous victory over Saul "Canelo" Alvarez to become the undisputed super middleweight champion in a thrilling contest at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Saturday.

Crawford set the pace from the start with a measured display that showcased his incredible hand speed and precise footwork, as the judges scored the fight 116-112, 115-113 and 115-113 in favour of the American.

The victory made Crawford the first male boxer to be crowned an undisputed champion in three different weight classes.

"I'm not here by coincidence. Canelo is a great champion, I have to take my hat off to him. He's a great competitor and I have great respect for him. He fought like a champion," said Crawford, who was in tears after his win was announced.

Asked if he would fight again, he said: "I don't know, I have to sit down with my team and we'll talk about it.

"I want to say thank you to all the supporters and the haters. I appreciate you all. Shout out to my fans and those supporting Canelo. We get to go home to our children."

With Alvarez and Crawford both having been recognised as the world's top pound-for-pound boxers in the past, the fight always promised to be a boxing master class.

The pair delivered an entertaining battle that had the more than 70,000 people in attendance and millions on Netflix watching with bated breath throughout the 12-round showcase.

Crawford, a former undisputed champion at both light welterweight and welterweight, as well as a four-division world champion, stepped up two weight classes for the bout.

He tipped the scales at a career-high 167.5 pounds (75.98 kg) at the weigh-in on Friday, exactly the same as Alvarez, but that step-up did not appear to affect his mobility.

BALANCING ACT

Keenly