Judges Steve Weisfeld, Tim Cheatham and Max DeLuca scored the fight 116-112, 115-113 and 115-113. CompuBox credited Crawford with a 115-99 advantage in total punches and a lopsided 45-16 edge in jabs.
Crawford fought exclusively from the southpaw stance, using his reach and feet to make Canelo restart his attacks. His jab occupied Canelo at long range, while the straight left punished the Mexican star whenever he tried to close the distance without setting up his offense.
The early rounds were competitive. Canelo attacked the body and had success when Crawford stayed within punching range. The difference became clearer as the pace slowed. Crawford could work, change position, and score again. Canelo increasingly relied on isolated power punches that were easy to read.
A clash of heads opened a small cut over Crawford’s right eye in the ninth. Instead of becoming cautious, Crawford responded with one of his busiest rounds. Canelo had a better 10th, but Crawford finished strongly with clean combinations during the final two rounds.
Neither fighter went down. Canelo was warned for a low blow in the sixth, though referee Thomas Taylor did not deduct a point.
“I couldn’t figure out the style,” Canelo said after the fight. “Everything he did gave me trouble.”
That admission captured the tactical story, but it did not explain all of Canelo’s decline. His legs slowed, his punch output dropped, and his attacks lacked the sustained force seen during his best years. He later cited cramps, incomplete weight recovery, and a body that failed to respond properly. He underwent elbow surgery several weeks later.
Crawford deserves full credit for exploiting those weaknesses. Moving from 154 to 168 pounds at nearly 38 years old was a huge risk, and Canelo was still favored at roughly -185. Both fighters weighed 167.5 pounds, but Crawford had never competed at super middleweight.
The announced attendance of 70,482 established a Nevada boxing record. The live gate reached $47.23 million, while the Netflix broadcast reportedly attracted more than 41 million global viewers.
Crawford improved to 42-0 (31 KOs), dropped to his knee and wept after the scores were announced. He retired three months later, leaving the Canelo victory as the final image of his career.
It was not a demolition. It was a calculated win over a fading superstar, delivered on the largest stage Crawford had ever seen. One year later, that distinction does little to reduce its historical value.
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