Smarts over power

Mexico's living legend Saul (Canelo) Alvarez was heavily favored to bludgeon Terence Crawford in their epic showdown at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas last Saturday night but oddsmakers were rebuffed as the fight turned out to be a tactical battle where ring smarts prevailed over raw power.

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Alvarez figured to dominate Crawford with his size in the weight division which he has lorded over since winning the WBC and WBA 168-pound titles in December 2020, later adding the IBF and WBO versions to claim undisputed supremacy. Crawford had never fought as a supermiddleweight and moved up two classes to challenge Alvarez. At the weigh-in, Crawford and Alvarez both tipped the scales at 167.5 pounds. It was the heaviest Crawford has weighed and in his previous outing in August last year, scaled only 153 1/2. There was speculation that Crawford would lose his speed with the added bulk and wouldn't be able to withstand the power of a bigger opponent fighting at his natural weight.