Like the rest of us, Canelo Alvarez was interested in seeing how Terence Crawford vs. Errol Spence Jr. would play out. With the two finally squaring off on July 29th, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, Alvarez grabbed himself some popcorn, purchased the pay-per-view, and watched every second of every round. Before they officially got it on, the pound-for-pound star believed that, despite Spence being a great fighter in his own right, that Crawford simply had too many tools in his toolbox. He was right. (photo by Ryan Hafey)
First round aside, Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) dominated the action, scoring three knockdowns before violently finishing the former unified welterweight champ in the ninth. Many have given soliloquies as to why the Omaha, Nebraska, native did what he did. Alvarez though, won’t pontificate long windily. Instead, he gave a short and sweet answer when addressing Crawford’s performance.
“Crawford was the best man that night,” Alvarez told BoxingScene.com.
Now beltless, Spence is now trying to make sense of what took place. But before he dives into the film room and attempts to fix his mistakes, he already revealed that he and Crawford have to do it again.
Although their rematch appears to be on the brink of becoming official, Spence is hopeful that Crawford will give him a break of sorts and agree to face him at 154 pounds. Crawford, to his credit, did acknowledge that he’s open to the idea of abandoning the 147-pound landscape and invading the junior middleweight division.
By and large, Spence (28-1, 22 KOs) is banking on the extra seven pounds doing his body justice in the ring, leading to a much better performance. Alvarez, on the other hand, believes that Spence is holding onto false hope. Whether their showdown happens at 147, 154, or even 175 pounds, the Mexican star simply isn’t convinced that Spence has what it takes to change the outcome.
“If they fight again it’s gonna be the same thing. He’s a better fighter.”