Two of boxing’s most dominant forces, undisputed super middleweight champion Saul "Canelo" Álvarez (63-2-2, 39 KOs) and undefeated four-division superstar Terence Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) will face off in a once in a lifetime Riyadh Season fight for the unified super middleweight championship at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada on September 13.
Terence Crawford has made a career of delivering Master Classes. Saturday night in Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium, before 70,482 fans, he taught another one, defeating Canelo Alvarez via 12-round unanimous decision to win the undisputed and Ring magazine super middleweight titles and become the first boxer in the four-belt era to be an undisputed champion in three divisions.
Scores were 116-112, 115-113, 115-113 for the 37-year-old Crawford, now 42-0 with 31 KOs. The 35-year-old Alvarez falls to 63-3-2 with 39 KOs.
Crawford didn’t look like the smaller man as the bout began, and he stood perilously close to Alvarez throughout an opening round that saw both feeling each other out and that was punctuated by a good combination by Alvarez and an equally effective one by Crawford.
Alvarez targeted the body with his left hook in the second, but Crawford used his speed and accuracy to tag the Guadalajara native upstairs.
The third saw Alvarez pressuring Crawford more, but “Bud” boxed effectively off his back foot, as he avoided any incoming fire to the head. Alvarez was landing his left hook to the body, but Crawford started adding some more offense in the fourth, confidently standing in the pocket and throwing. Alvarez responded with some of his best work of the fight, but Crawford was still in control.
Alvarez had his best round to this point in the fifth, as he boxed well from the outside and was busier with his attack, but it was Nebraska’s Crawford who regained control with strong efforts in the sixth and seventh stanzas.
As the eighth began, it was clear that Alvarez needed to start making a charge if he wanted to win the fight, and he had brief moments of success, but not enough to deter Crawford from his rhythm.
Crawford opened up with both hands to open the ninth and Alvarez fired back, but the action was interrupted by a clash of heads that opened a cut over Crawford’s eye. When the bout resumed, the two went on the attack, Alvarez looking for the finish with every shot while Crawford responded in kind.
The pace slowed in round ten, and that helped Alvarez do some solid work, but it was Crawford with his foot on the gas again in the 11th. Alvarez landed some hard shots in response, but then it was Crawford coming right back with blows of his own before he used his feet to keep his foe at bay.
Showing his warrior spirit, Alvarez marched forward in the final round, looking to turn things around, but he wasn’t able to take away Crawford’s moment, despite his best efforts. Tonight, it was Crawford’s night.
In a co-main event clash of unbeaten junior middleweights, Callum Walsh kept his “0” intact with a ten-round unanimous decision win over Fernando Vargas Jr.
Scores were 99-91, 99-91, 100-90 in a fight that was more competitive than those scores would indicate.
The first two rounds were largely tactical, with each fighter trying to figure the other out. Vargas’ defense upstairs was solid, forcing Walsh to go to the body, which he did enthusiastically. In the third, both fighters opened up more offensively, with Walsh (15-0, 11 KOs) being the busier and more effective, even though Vargas (17-1, 15 KOs) had his moments.
Rounds four and five were good action rounds, with Vargas gaining more and more confidence while Walsh remained steady. Vargas’ body shots were straying low, though, drawing two warnings from referee Harvey Dock.
In the second half of the bout, the fight remained competitive, and while Walsh was landing the harder shots, and controlling matters when he wanted to, Vargas was never far behind.
Christian Mbilli and Lester Martinez delivered a Fight of the Year candidate in an instant classic ruled a draw, allowing Mbilli to retain his interim WBC super middleweight title.
Scores were 97-93 Martinez, 96-94 Mbilli and 95-95 in a fight where words simply don’t do it justice.
Power shots were the order of the day in the opening round, with both champion and challenger standing in the trenches and throwing bombs. Neither took a backwards step and as soon as round two began, it was more of the same. Mbilli’s body work was brutal, but Martinez would take it all and fire back.
The war continued in the third, Martinez appearing to take control until Mbilli roared back late, thrilling the fans in attendance. Mbilli kept that momentum into the fourth, but as he became more measured in the fifth, Martinez took advantage by outworking him to take the round, and the Guatemalan took advantage as his foe appeared to start tiring.
When Mbilli threw, though, he was the more accurate puncher, making this a near impossible fight to score. And remarkably, in the eighth round, the pair were throwing as hard and often as they did in the first, with Mbilli apparently edging it until Martinez roared back and made it close to call.
With two rounds to go, Martinez made his move, and Mbilli looked weary after the onslaught from Martinez in the ninth. But as the final round began, the Cameroon native was right back in Martinez’ face, pushing him to the ropes while firing off combinations. Martinez, as usual, fired back with both hands, giving the fans in the stadium and watching at home something they won’t forget anytime soon.
Mbilli moves to 29-0-1 with 24 KOs, Martinez to 19-0-1 with 16 KOs.
Lightweight prospect Mohammed Alakel’s first journey to the land of ten-rounders was a successful one, as he stayed disciplined and focused throughout en route to a unanimous victory over game late replacement Travis Crawford.
Scores were 99-91, 99-91, 98-92 for Saudi Arabia’s Alakel, now 6-0 with 1 KO. Crawford falls to 7-5 with 2 KOs in his final pro fight. In two weeks, the Texan leaves for U.S. Army basic training.
Using his height and reach advantages, as well as a nice variety of shots, Alakel controlled the bout throughout and weathered some spirited charges from Crawford, who just wasn’t able to find success consistently.
Brandon Adams repeated his 2021 win over junior middleweight contender Serhii Bohachuk, and while he didn’t get the knockout like he did the first time, he was even more impressive in scoring a ten-round unanimous decision.
Scores were 99-91, 98-92, 98-92 for Adams, now 26-4 with 16 KOs. Bohachuk falls to 26-3 with 24 KOs.
Both fighters got down to business immediately, but this course of events seemed to serve Adams well, as he landed several hard shots, particularly to the body. In the second, the frantic pace continued, with Bohachuk starting to get into a rhythm, even though Adams wasn’t slowing down. But from the third stanza on, it was Adams staying one step ahead of the Ukrainian. That didn’t mean the action dipped, as the two stood and traded with barely a foot between them, but Adams’ punches had more steam on them, and in the tenth he opened up even more, putting a stamp on an impressive win.
In a heavyweight bout, Jermaine Franklin Jr. removed two-time Olympic bronze medalist Ivan Dychko from the ranks of the unbeaten via unanimous decision.
Scores were 96-93, 95-94 and 97-92 for Franklin, now 24-2, Dychko falls to 15-1 with 14 KOs.
The pattern of the first half of the fight was a repetitive one, with Dychko throwing a jab and an occasional right hand, followed by Franklin moving in with a punch of two of his own and the pair engaging in a clinch. Obviously, the fans were not happy, and though Franklin showed signs of life in rounds seven and eight, even benefitting from a point deduction from his foe for pushing on Franklin’s back, it didn’t appear that he did enough to win. But the judges disagreed, and the Michigan native got the nod.
Japan’s Reito Tsutsumi jumped on Javier Martinez and didn’t stop until the referee called a halt to the super featherweight bout, moving to 3-0 with two knockouts via first-round TKO.
Tsutsumi’s body work was punishing, and he implemented it early and often. With a minute left in the opening round, he put the Texan on the canvas, and while Martinez rose, referee Allen Huggins waved it off at the 2:18 mark.
Martinez falls to 7-3 with 4 KOs.
Just 17 years old, Saudi Arabia’s Sultan Almohammed lived up to the hype in his pro debut, but the super featherweight got a fight from Martin Caraballo before emerging with a four-round unanimous decision win.
Scores were 40-36 across the board.
The first three minutes were highlighted by several brisk exchanges, with each man having his moments and neither being willing to back down. And after a minute’s rest, the two got back at it, with Almohammed starting to land the more telling blows as the bout progressed. The action didn’t dip, though, with both fighters rightfully earning the respect of the crowd for their efforts.
Almohammed moves to 1-0 with the win. The 21-year-old Caraballo falls to 0-1-1
Cuba’s Raiko Santana scored a major upset in his light heavyweight bout with Steven Nelson, stopping the Nebraskan in the first round.
After both fighters took their time settling into the action, Santana drilled Nelson with a right hand and then followed up with several more unanswered rights, prompting referee Robert Hoyle to halt the contest. The official time was 2:38 of the opening frame.
Santana moves to 13-4 with 7 KOs. Nelson falls to 20-2 with 16 KOs.
Late replacement Sona Akale upset the then-unbeaten Nico Ali Walsh in 2023, but the gritty Minnesota native wasn’t about to pull off a similar feat in the middleweight opener at Allegiant Stadium, as 2024 Olympic Silver medalist Marco Verde got the night off to a good start for Mexico with a fourth-round TKO win.
Akale showed up to fight, but it was clear early on that he wasn’t on the level of Verde, who jarred him a couple times before dropping him with a little over a minute left in the first round. Akale recovered and made it into the second round, where Verde continued to tag him almost at will, and he continued to dominate in the third, drawing a between rounds look from the ringside physician.
And after more of the same in round four, referee Mark Nelson stopped the bout at the 1:11 mark, much to the chagrin of Akale who falls to 9-4 with 4 KOs. Verde moves to 3-0 with 2 KOs.
