“He doesn’t get affected emotionally. He’s got great eyes, laser-like with his vision, sharp timing, and he never believes he can be beaten,” Teddy Atlas had said on The Fight With Teddy Atlas podcast. The Hall of Fame boxing trainer and former ESPN analyst highlighted how Terence Crawford’s mentality would hold strong against a fighter like Canelo Alvarez, despite the weight difference between the two. On September 13, Crawford proved him right. The pride of Nebraska made history through sheer grit and perseverance and ended Canelo Alvarez’s long reign as the king of the super middleweights.

An emotional, teary-eyed ‘Bud’ raised his hands in victory after putting on a show against Alvarez at Allegiant Stadium in front of a roaring crowd of 70,482 fans. With that win, he became the first male fighter to become undisputed in three different weight divisions, all while remaining undefeated. That’s an enormous achievement for any athlete, which leads to the burning question! Has he now secured the status of the best pound-for-pound fighter of this era? Here’s our case!

Terence Crawford, the ‘Undefeated’ 42-0 phenom

In boxing, only a handful of fighters have left their mark by retiring undefeated. When we talk about perfection, Floyd Mayweather’s 50–0 record instantly comes to mind. ‘Money’ competed from 1996 to 2017, capturing 15 world titles across five weight classes. Then there’s Rocky Marciano, who went 49-0. Joe Calzaghe was 46-0. Andre Ward, who dominated the super middleweight and light heavyweight divisions, also retired with a flawless 32–0 record. But Terence Crawford’s case is a little different.

The Omaha native has stayed unbeaten at 42–0, defeating elite names like Errol Spence Jr., and most recently, Canelo Alvarez. Beyond his unblemished record, Crawford has done something no male fighter before him has ever achieved. He became an undisputed champion in three weight divisions, holding titles from all four major governing bodies. Even Mayweather, Calzaghe, and Andre Ward, despite their greatness, never accomplished that.

The question now is whether Crawford wants to break Mayweather’s record and surpass him to 51. At 37, he still looked phenomenal, dismantling Alvarez in Las Vegas with ease, proving that ‘Bud’ has plenty left in the tank. But even if he never eclipses Mayweather’s 50 wins, his achievement of becoming a three-division undisputed champion has already strengthened the case for him as one of the greatest fighters of all time.

Even Canelo Alvarez himself admitted it in the post-fight press conference, saying he believes Crawford was much better than Mayweather. And when a former champion who fought both men says it, his words carry weight. With the historic three-division undisputed feat now cemented, let’s dive into Crawford’s journey to achieving it.  

Three-weight undisputed champion 

Becoming a world champion in boxing is tough. Now, imagine winning titles in multiple divisions—and then amplifying that by unifying belts recognized by all four sanctioning bodies. That’s when status becomes legendary. Only a few overachievers in this era have managed it. Take Canelo Alvarez, for example, one half of yesterday’s headliner. The Mexican superstar didn’t just become a multi-division world champion—he went a step further, claiming undisputed status at 168 lbs twice.

Alvarez competed across four divisions, collecting belts from light middleweight to light heavyweight. While he unified titles along the way, it wasn’t until he dominated the super middleweight division that he finally held all four belts at once. He even became a two-time 168-pound champion after defeating William Scull this year to reclaim his IBF belt. That’s how difficult it is to maintain an undisputed status across divisions—few can do it, and even fewer can sustain it.

Then there’s Oleksandr Usyk. The proud Ukrainian etched his name in history as an undisputed champion in two divisions. In 2018, he swept the World Boxing Super Series to claim the undisputed cruiserweight crown, becoming Ukraine’s first-ever undisputed champion. Later, he moved up to heavyweight, where he dethroned Anthony Joshua for the WBA, IBF, and WBO titles. Usyk then completed the set by defeating Tyson Fury in 2024 and becoming undisputed at heavyweight. He then defeated Daniel Dubois earlier this year to reclaim the IBF belt and become the undisputed heavyweight king for a second time.

And now, we come back to the star of the show! Terence Crawford. In his professional career, the Nebraska native has ruled five weight classes, from lightweight to super middleweight. Along the way, he became undisputed at light welterweight and welterweight, with his most notable victory coming against Errol Spence Jr in July 2023. That night, Crawford retained his WBO welterweight belt and snatched the WBA (Super), WBC, IBF, and The Ring titles in a masterful performance.

But the highlight didn’t stop there. His most defining moment came against Canelo Alvarez, where he secured the super middleweight championship in Las Vegas. With that win, Crawford became the first male fighter in history—alongside Claressa Shields on the women’s side—to hold undisputed championships in three separate divisions. That’s greatness. That’s history!

Crawford’s masterful performance against Canelo Alvarez 

There was plenty of skepticism when Terence Crawford jumped two weight classes to face Canelo Álvarez at 168 lbs. That too, close to his 40s. Critics argued that at 37, Crawford might struggle against his younger, 35-year-old Mexican opponent. Others questioned his experience, noting that Crawford entered the fight with 41 bouts, while Álvarez already had an imposing 67 matches on his résumé.

But when fight night arrived, Crawford silenced everyone. From the opening bell, Canelo looked loose, confident, and eager to let his right hand fly. However, the 37-year-old had a plan. Known for switching stances mid-fight, the Nebraskan chose instead to stay southpaw and remain on the outside. That subtle adjustment made all the difference, slowing down Canelo’s right hand and disrupting its timing.

By the fourth round, the Nebraskan began to settle in. He mixed crisp combinations with steady body work, and as the exchanges heated up, Canelo began to look winded, exhausted, and frustrated from his own output. Crawford’s superior speed and agility gave him the edge, allowing him to pile up damage while staying out of range.

In the ninth round, the tide had clearly turned. Crawford slipped punches with ease and countered with sharp jabs and clean uppercuts, frustrating the Mexican superstar. By the 11th, he landed a picture-perfect counter left hook that visibly rattled Álvarez. The two warriors traded heavy blows, but neither could produce the knockout shot.

When the final bell rang, the judges had seen enough. They awarded Terence Crawford a well-deserved decision victory, crowning him the new king of the super middleweights. Surrounded by the belts, Crawford stood tall as a living testament to grit, skill, and strategy.

Now, another question lingers: has the American legend finally cemented himself as the true No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world?  

Is ‘Bud’ pound-for-pound the best fighter in this era?

Now comes the fun part! Can Terence Crawford truly be called the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world? To answer that, we need to look at today’s landscape. Right now, two other names stand tall in the conversation—Ukrainian heavyweight Oleksandr Usyk and Japanese sensation Naoya Inoue. Both have been carving out their own legacies, delivering one brilliant performance after another and staking their claim as the sport’s elite.  

We’ve already seen Oleksandr Usyk carve out greatness by becoming an undisputed champion in two divisions—cruiserweight and heavyweight. Alongside him and Crawford, Japanese superstar Naoya Inoue has also written his name into history. ‘The Monster’ became a two-division undisputed champion in the four-belt era, unifying at bantamweight and super bantamweight. Even more impressive, Inoue remains undefeated with a staggering 94% knockout rate—31 wins with 27 coming by stoppage. That kind of finishing power is rare in modern boxing.

So yes, Crawford has serious competition. But right now, he has the strongest case to be called the pound-for-pound best. He already held undisputed titles at light welterweight and welterweight, and then jumped two weight classes to face Canelo Álvarez at super middleweight—defeating him decisively and without controversy. That feat solidifies this claim, as Canelo Alvarez, before his loss, was very much in the top six of the pound-for-pound rankings. Usyk and Inoue have achieved undisputed status in two divisions, but neither took the risk of moving up two divisions to dethrone another pound-for-pound best(except maybe when Usyk fought Fury). But Crawford did, and that bold step is the centerpiece of the argument.

It’s why so many voices in the sport are already calling Crawford not just one of the best—but the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world today. Even Oleksandr Usyk, himself an undisputed champion in two divisions, gave Crawford that crown in a 2024 interview: “For me, number one pound-for-pound is Terence Crawford. I like this man, he is a great fighter. A terribly tough boxer.” Now, after Crawford’s dominant victory over Canelo, it’s hard to imagine Usyk, or anyone else, changing that opinion. 

With that being said, what’s your take on Terence Crawford’s performance against Canelo Álvarez under the bright lights of Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas? Has he earned the right to be called one of the greatest boxers of this era? Share your thoughts in the comments below—we’d love to hear your take.