Canelo Alvarez claims to still feel 'great,' but his eyes tell a different truth

LAS VEGAS — “I feel great,” claimed Saul “Canelo” Alvarez to a chorus of unwavering Mexican support.

The former undisputed super middleweight champion, now 63-3-2 (39 KOs), stood center-ring inside Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium wearing a reddened face, marked eyes and a baseball cap pulled down to his pulsating brow.

In the 68th bout of his 20-year career in boxing’s paid ranks, the former pound-for-pound king was made to look ordinary at the talented hands of a special fighter. Terence “Bud” Crawford (42-0, 31 KOs) dared to be great — and great he was.

The Omaha native added the undisputed titles at 168 pounds to his collection at 140 and 147, climbing up two weight divisions to do so in an unprecedented display of generational talent. “Bud” won the argument via unanimous decision (116-112, 115-113, 115-113), and, in doing so, put Alvarez’s future under the brightest of spotlights.

Alvarez, 35, didn’t fight this past Saturday like a man that felt “great.” There were times throughout the 36 minutes of combat that the Mexican icon looked lost in a Nebraskan trance — frustrated by Crawford dictating the pace with a spiteful jab and swift counters, dishing out punishment from unlikely angles and leaving Alvarez chasing shadows.

Alvarez’s mouth spoke a story, but his eyes told the truth. Across the final six minutes of the bout, Alvarez looked like a man who had accepted defeat for the first time throughout his illustrious career.

A crisp double jab to the body then head from the aggressor prompted Alvarez to break eye-contact for the first time, turn his head and furrow his brow. He recoiled like he was hurt from the routine combination. He wasn’t. Not physically, but mentally; emotionally. It didn’t go unnoticed by the record attendance crowd inside the stadium nicknamed after “Star Wars'” Death Star. An eclectic mix of ringside invitees — including MrBeast, Jason Statham and Michael J. Fox — contorted their faces, wincing as if they themselves were the ones under Crawford’s spell.

Cries of “Crawford! Crawford! Crawford!” began echoing in the round — an Omaha tribute to a Mexican wave. They could smell blood from way up in the top tier. There was no “Return of the Jedi” to be had for the former face of boxing, more “A New Hope” in the shape of the 37-year-old switch-hitter on the cusp of history.

Crawford stamped his authority on the argument with a vicious left hand in the final round that saw Alvarez’s head swivel 180 degrees. A stiff right-handed jab a minute later as Alvarez attempted to walk down the challenger sent shudders through his torso; pale flesh rippling like waves down to his knees. Alvarez was willing to roll the Vegas dice in the final stanza, but Crawford held pocket aces. He grinned as he toyed with his former tormentor until a final show of machismo from both took us to the final bell.

Crawford becomes the sixth male fighter in history to win world titles in five different divisions, joining an esteemed list featuring names such as Thomas Hearns, Sugar Ray Leonard, Oscar De La Hoya, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao. In doing so, he becomes only the second man — behind Henry Armstrong in 1938 — to reign undisputed in three different weight classes.

Alvarez’s suspected decline was confirmed for all to see, including a new worldwide Netflix audience that is expected to rival records. It wasn’t for a want of trying, but the Mexican’s inability to effectively pull the trigger against an opponent as elusive and crafty as Crawford was noteworthy.

Saul “Canelo” Alvarez speaks to the media following his undisputed super middleweight title loss to Terence Crawford.

(Harry How via Getty Images)

Alvarez’s post-fight interview was revealing in and of itself. He has now completed two of his four contracted fights — worth a reported package of $100 million — under Turki Alalshikh’s Riyadh Season banner, and the Saudi paymaster stood behind his most prized commodity, shadow looming large, as he was pressed on what’s next in his career.

This version of Alvarez — one without a world championship title to his name for the first time since September 2018 — is still of huge worth to Alalshikh, as long as he is willing to fight. And there is no reason to suggest otherwise as rumors already have begun circling for a rematch in Saudi Arabia.

It’s all part of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund’s — of which Alalshikh is a trusted advisor and chairman of the General Entertainment Authority — grander plan to diversify their country’s wealth reliance away from oil, by increasing tourism in their homeland, all under “Vision 2030.” Alongside many other sports, they are using boxing as one of their most heavily funded vehicles. Stars like Alvarez offer them the perfect Trojan horse to reach the sport’s beating heart.

This was once again evident inside Allegiant Stadium. All 71,000-plus in attendance received a free copy of Turki Alalshikh’s recently acquired Ring Magazine, full with “Visit Saudi” propaganda. Adverts played out on the big screens in between fights, in between rounds, all pleading for you to visit the Kingdom. We were told repeatedly by the event’s host, Max Kellerman, that none of this would be possible if Alalshikh hadn’t been born.

That is the man Alvarez’s legacy is now in the hands of. “Canelo” is a prizefighter by nature, but generational wealth has already been achieved by a former four-weight world champion. He can keep adding zeros to his bank balance, but at what cost to the numbers on his record?

Only time will tell.