Crawford tops Canelo for historic undisputed title

Terence Crawford defeated Canelo Alvarez and made history in the process, scoring a unanimous decision to capture the undisputed super middleweight crown Saturday night at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

The judges scored it 116-112, 115-113 and 115-113 for Crawford.

Crawford (42-0, 31 KOs), who moved up from 154 pounds to 168 pounds to challenge Alvarez, became the first male boxer to become an undisputed champion in three weight classes in the four-belt era. He previously was undisputed at junior welterweight and welterweight.

Crawford's speed advantage was evident, as he peppered Alvarez with his jab throughout the fight and effectively strung together short combinations before dancing away to avoid Alvarez's power shots. As he built a lead on the scorecards, Crawford confidently stood in the pocket and traded shots with Alvarez in the second half of the fight, landing the sharper, more impactful shots.

Alvarez (63-3-2, 39 KOs) had his six-fight winning streak snapped. He defeated William Scull by unanimous decision in May in his previous bout.

Crawford and Alvarez are ranked No. 3 and No. 8, respectively, on ESPN's pound-for-pound list.