He gave me leg cramps. Hefty legs. A body that “didn’t respond the way I really wanted it to.” He assures that the second time will be different. This is the entire sales plan.
There was no controversy about the scoring. No robbery narrative. No contested knockdowns. Crawford won cleanly. The only comeback scenario is if people think Canelo Álvarez left something in the locker room that night, and that is a tender basis for a second fight.
The version of Canelo that struggled with pace against Crawford didn’t come out of nowhere. The same signs showed up in fights against Jaime Munguia, Edgar Berlanga and William Scull. He took command of these rounds and secured victories, although the punches came in bursts, the footwork lacked the snap of his ancient self, and the reactions were half a step worse than the version that once punished every opening.
He was able to get through those nights without Crawford’s pressure on him.
So when Canelo says the first fight was hampered by cramps and fatigue, fans have to decide what they believe. Was this a one-time physical problem, or was it the same gradual physical decline that manifested itself more than once?
Boxing fans are used to explanations after a loss. Injuries happen. There are bad nights. Aging happens too. Rarely does everything come at once. It appears in petite moments. Half a step slower. The round is lost because the legs don’t shoot.
The rematch depends on whether people believe him. Fans who see this night as a drop from his usual level might imagine a different fight the second time around. Others see a fighter entering the later phase of his career where the look is familiar and the questions have already been answered, leaving little intrigue in returning to the fight.
This is a real obstacle. Convincing people that the first fight wasn’t the real version is the hardest part.
Dan Ambrose is a boxing journalist at Boxing News 24, respected for his direct analysis and extensive coverage of the global fight landscape. His reports focus on the most crucial fights, division development and the most discussed stories in sports.