U.S. star Terence Crawford shocked Mexican maestro Canelo Alvarez in Las Vegas to become the first boxer in the modern era to hold undisputed titles in three different weight classes.
The 37-year-old American produced a near-perfect display of counterpunching and combinations to dethrone super middleweight king Alvarez on points in front of over 70,000 fans at the Allegiant Stadium.
Crawford took the verdict 116-112, 115-113, 115-113 to stretch his unbeaten career record to 42 fights and immediately paid tribute to his Mexican opponent, while casting doubt over his own future.
"Canelo is a great champion," said Crawford. "I’ve got to take my hat off to him. I’ve got nothing but respect for Canelo. I’m a big fan of Canelo and he fought like a champion today."
Asked whether he will fight again, Crawford added: "I don’t know. I’ve got to sit down with my team and we’ve got to talk about it."
Crawford had previously won undisputed titles at super-lightweight and welterweight, and is the first man to claim a third since Henry Armstrong held three world titles simultaneously in the single-belt era in 1938.
Alvarez, himself a multiple champion in four different weight classes, had the majority of the crowd's support, but the 35-year-old struggled to get a grip on his opponent in the tentative early stages.
Crawford slowly began to ratchet up the speed and combinations, landing a crisp left hand in round six and had pulled away to establish a clear lead by halfway.
Alvarez was being beaten to the punch with his relatively straightforward approach and began to show signs of frustration, setting up a fiery ninth round in which the action was briefly halted when Crawford was cut in an accidental head butt.
Southpaw Crawford continued to pour out the combinations in an intriguing counter, snapping Alvarez’s head back in the 10th, and despite the slender scorecards, there was little doubt over the final verdict.
