Terence Crawford’s assistant coach Bernie Davis says Crawford overcame “refined version” Canelo Alvarez ‘worse’ than Floyd Mayweather Jr. many years ago.
The 35-year-old Canelo did not look very “elegant” in the eyes of this expert. He looked vintage, weather-beaten and tired. This wasn’t Canelo, who stopped Gennady Golovkin in his first two fights in 2017 and 2018.
The way Mayweather defeated Canelo was much different than the way Crawford did it. Floyd stood in the pocket, outboxed and beat Canelo.
In contrast, Crawford rode a bicycle, constantly moving and rarely standing still. There is no comparison between them. Mayweather looked masterful in the video below of his victory over Canelo on September 14, 2013.
Davis says Crawford (42-0, 31 KO) took on then-undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo (63-3-2, 39 KO) and “stunned him, staggered him” in the Sept. 13, 2025 fight.
Crawford won a nearly 12-round unanimous decision by scores of 115-113, 115-113 and 116-112. It was a close call as Canelo landed most of his strenuous punches in rounds 1-8.
Crawford came to life in round 9 with a brief volley of punches. In rounds 10, 11 and 12, Terence’s attack was sporadic, just like before.
Canelo vs. Crawford punch stats
Canelo Alvarez – 99 of 338 for 29.3%
Terence Crawford – 115 out of 534 for 21.5%
Of the 115 punches Crawford landed, 45 were jabs and 70 were strenuous punches. Once the pushes were removed, Terence didn’t take many significant shots.
Mayweather’s reference point
On September 14, 2013, Floyd Mayweather defeated the younger, faster and better version of Canelo by 12-round majority decision. Canelo was 22 years vintage at the time, at the top of his game and looked undefeated. Mayweather did a great job disarming Canelo’s attack and working him through. The scores were 117-111, 116-112 and 114-114.
Mayweather and Canelo punching stats
Floyd Mayweather Jr. – 232 out of 505 hits for a 46% connection speed
Canelo Alvarez – 117 of 526 for 22%
“We beat this man. We beat him worse than Mayweather and we’re talking about a refined version,” said trainer Bernie Davis. MillCity Boxingclaiming that Terence Crawford did a better job beating 35-year-old Canelo Alvarez than Floyd Mayweather Jr. did when he beat him when the Mexican star was 23 years vintage.
It wasn’t Crawford beating up on Canelo. He spent too much time moving around trying not to get hit by Canelo because it was considered a self-inflicted beating.
“Canelo didn’t take any beatings. He’s the only undisputed three-division champion we’ve had in the four-belt era,” Bernie said of Crawford. “The guys he beat were undefeated. He pushed him. He stunned him, he staggered him,” Bernie said, going a little overboard in praising Crawford.
Tom Galm has been covering the global boxing scene since 2014, specializing in heavyweight analysis, business trends and fighter psychology.
Daniel Dubois will face Fabio Wardley in a rematch of a heavyweight slugfest from earlier this year, with Dubois defending the WBO heavyweight title he took from Wardley on that night.
Live coverage will kick off at 2 pm ET, and we’ll have results and updates during the four-fight, main card undercard, then live, round-by-round scoring and updates for the main event itself.
How to watch Dubois vs Wardley 2
Start time: 2:00 pm ET for main card, prelims begin at 11:00 am ET
Streaming: DAZN (Ultimate subscription or Pay-Per-View)
PPV Cost: As a standalone, one-off purchase Pay-Per-View, the price is $59.99 (or £24.99). With DAZN’s Ultimate tier, the show is included as part of your subscription.
Location: O2 Arena – London, England
Dubois vs Wardley 2 full undercard and running order
Fabio Wardley can turn his early success against Daniel Dubois into a rematch victory if he avoids exhausting himself chasing the finish. He proved he could hurt Dubois in their first fight. The harder task is keeping control when an opponent he has dropped continues coming forward.
Wardley scored two early knockdowns before Dubois recovered and stopped him. That leaves an opening for a different result, although better pacing alone may not be enough to prevent another punishing night.
Chris Mannix and Sergio Mora both back Wardley to win again on Saturday, with Mannix choosing him by stoppage. Mora believes Wardley’s eagerness to finish Dubois helped undo his promising start.
“If he just doesn’t punch himself out, he thinks about setting up that right hand, doesn’t get right hand happy,” Mora said to DAZN Boxing.
That is the adjustment Wardley needs to make under pressure. Once Dubois survived his biggest punches, Wardley needed something beyond another loaded right hand. Working behind his jab and putting punches together would give him more ways to attack without spending everything on a single finish.
Dubois deserves credit for surviving those knockdowns and returning to his jab. Mora believes his previous defeats helped him stay composed when Wardley hurt him. Wardley now has his own experience of a fight turning against him.
“I think he’ll be smarter after this fight. I think he’ll learn some lessons,” Mannix said. “I think Wardley wins by stoppage in this fight.”
Mannix’s biggest concern is what the first beating took out of Wardley. Learning the tactical lesson does not guarantee he will absorb Dubois’ punches the same way in the rematch.
Wardley’s power gives their picks a credible foundation. He has already put Dubois down twice. To complete the job, he needs to create another opening without allowing the pursuit of a knockout to leave him exhausted and exposed again.
Share this article
About the author
Boxing 24/7 Wire
Boxing247.com is an independent boxing news publication covering the sport since 2001. It provides original reporting, fight analysis, schedules, results, and informed coverage of major fighters and events worldwide, backed by more than 25 years of professional boxing journalism.
Jesse Rodriguez is willing to meet Naoya Inoue in March, yet that timeline still depends entirely on the undisputed champion waiting for him. Inoue may prefer an earlier ring return, which would leave Rodriguez on the outside looking in as he continues handling business at bantamweight.
Trainer Robert Garcia revealed that Rodriguez can make a March date work, moving up his original April or May target. Still, the camp intends to take on WBO champion Christian Medina in December first.
Robert confirmed the updated outlook to The Ring: “I previously said April or May, but we can be ready for March.”
While that shortens the wait, early 2027 remains unresolved. Turki Alalshikh pointed toward a January appearance in Japan. Eddie Hearn mentioned February or March instead. Clear alignment on a date is completely absent.
Rodriguez must fulfill a contract before New Year’s Eve, with Garcia eyeing December 11 or December 19 against Medina. The camp figures Rodriguez can enjoy the holidays, then jump straight into camp for Inoue.
That expectation rests on an ideal outcome against Medina. Cuts, bruised knuckles, or an unexpectedly brutal bout could easily force Rodriguez to take extra recovery time. Inoue would effectively be pinning his calendar on a fighter who still has to survive another bout first.
Inoue is already eyeing an eventual jump to featherweight. Sitting around waiting for Rodriguez to finish his stay at 118 pounds makes little sense for the Japanese star.
Garcia admitted neither he nor Hearn has received an official approach to begin talks. The public chatter is moving much faster than the paperwork.
Putting March on the table does not guarantee Inoue’s cooperation. If March works on both sides, the matchup can happen. If Inoue wants to fight sooner, Rodriguez will either have to scrap his December plans or watch this major fight slip away.
Bam is acting like someone who wants the glory of calling out Inoue without actually taking the risk of meeting him on his terms.
When a fighter gets an invitation to share a ring with the sport’s biggest pound-for-pound attraction, they drop everything. They do not tell the undisputed champion to take a number and wait until spring because Christian Medina is on the calendar. That makes zero sense. A routine belt grab against Medina does nothing for Rodriguez’s profile, brings in a fraction of the money, and accomplishes very little that fans care about.
Share this article
About the author
Boxing News 24 Desk
BoxingNews24.com has delivered independent boxing coverage since 2007, including original news, fight analysis, schedules, and results. Our experienced boxing writers cover major fighters and events worldwide, with published content reviewed by editors for accuracy.