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.
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Fabio Wardley’s team wants tighter control of Daniel Dubois’ head-first attacks in Saturday’s rematch, with manager Michael Ofo calling for stronger officiating after their first fight.
The concern is about Wardley being able to punch without Dubois driving into him with his head. Those collisions can interrupt an attack, knock a fighter out of position, and make him hesitate before throwing again.
Dubois recovered from two knockdowns to stop Wardley in May and take the WBO heavyweight title. Ahead of their return at London’s O2 Arena, Ofo has accused the champion of leading with his head and using a tackle during that fight.
“We’re calling for a stronger referee, because it’s needed,” Ofo told Sky Sports Boxing.
Dubois’ trainer Don Charles rejected the criticism, describing the opposing camp’s complaints as “insecurity and weakness.”
Wardley’s camp has a reasonable case for asking the referee to watch those entries closely. When Dubois comes forward behind his punches, head contact can make it difficult for Wardley to plant his feet and counter. Intent is difficult to establish, but repeated collisions still need attention.
That becomes especially important if Wardley hurts Dubois again. He needs the opportunity to follow up without a foul interrupting his work and giving the champion time to recover.
However, Wardley cannot build his approach around the referee intervening. His jab has to give Dubois something to get past, and combinations would make him less predictable than loading up on individual power shots. Moving after punching could also reduce the opportunities for Dubois to drive into him.
Wardley showed he could hurt Dubois in the first fight. The harder task is turning those moments into a finish while avoiding another punishing battle at close range. Firmer officiating could help, but his own adjustments will have to do most of the work. Wardley cannot rely on the third man to solve that puzzle.
If Dubois is going to be stopped from barreling in head-first, Wardley has to make the physical cost of doing so intolerable, just like Oleksandr Usyk did.
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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.