Terence Crawford‘s stunning victory over Canelo Alvarez on September 13 was a career-defining moment. By defeating Canelo, he became the first male fighter in the four-belt era to hold undisputed status in three weight classes. However, rather than celebrating, the narrowness of two of the judges’ scorecards, 115-113 in Crawford’s favor, sparked heated debate across the boxing world.

Many people felt that the official result did not accurately reflect how the bout played out in the ring. ‘Bud’ finished well, commanding the late rounds with crisp counters and calculated aggression, while Canelo seemed to fade. To long-time fans, the outcome felt considerably more definitive than the two-point margins suggested by two of the scorecards.

Roy Jones Jr. and Andre Ward, two of boxing’s most renowned voices, jumped in to express their displeasure over how close the fight was scored. Roy Jones Jr. did not mince words on the ‘ALL THE SMOKE FIGHT’ podcast when breaking down the action. He admitted Alvarez may have taken “three, maybe four, or five” rounds early on, but as the fight progressed into the second half, the picture shifted dramatically.

In Jones’ opinion, Terence Crawford controlled at least seven of those latter rounds, particularly the championship rounds. “I just thought that Bud took the most rounds in the late part, and that’s why I thought Bud won the fight easily, because the championship rounds he also won.” According to Jones, the two 115-113 cards overlooked just how decisively Crawford took over down the stretch.

Andre Ward, meanwhile, extended the discussion to address a larger issue: how Las Vegas judges tend to favor the “money fighter” in close calls. “You got to win the championship rounds. This is Las Vegas,” he said, referring to the pressure Crawford faced against Canelo Alvarez’s massive draw. Ward credited Crawford for understanding that dynamic, citing the 11th round as a moment when Bud “stepped on the gas” to ensure the fight did not end in a split draw.

The boxing legend further pointed out that if Terence Crawford had lost the 12th, “we’re having a totally different discussion right now.” Jones and Ward divided the debate into two parts: the misalignment of close scorecards with Crawford’s late dominance and the institutional pressure in Vegas that can sway choices toward the more marketable star.

But whatever the end result might be, there is no denying that this was one superfight that became a must-watch spectacle for fight fans. And maybe that is why it managed to become the most-viewed men’s championship boxing match of this century.

Terence Crawford vs. Canelo Alvarez gets a massive viewership

If the judging sparked arguments, the audience numbers sealed the fight’s spot in history. Netflix stated that 41.4 million people watched Terence Crawford vs. Canelo Alvarez, making it the most-watched men’s championship boxing fight of the century. 36.6 million people watched in real time, with 24 million concurrent streams across 30 countries. It was proof that this bout had crossed beyond the boxing purist circle into a wider cultural moment.

Even when compared to streaming juggernauts, the fight held its own. Although it didn’t match the spectacle of Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson‘s 108 million or Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano 2’s 74 million, it must be understood that it wasn’t intended to be a crossover extravaganza. Here, Crawford and Canelo carried the weight of a true championship clash, and drawing tens of millions for a legacy fight showed that boxing thrives when the stakes are there.

If that wasn’t enough to sell the success of the event, the live figures told their own story. 70,482 fans packed Allegiant Stadium, generating an astounding $47 million in gate revenue, the highest ever for the stadium and the third highest in boxing history. Crawford vs. Canelo was more than just a title bout; it was a global spectacle. So, even if many may disagree with the judgment, the bout still finds itself in the history books.