THE PUGILISTIC’S EYE: How did Crawford see through Alvarez?

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

It has been days since Terence “Bud” Crawford pulled off one of the most clinical performances in the history of the sweet science.

On Sept. 14, 2025, the pride of Ohama, Nebraska, defied the odds, moved up two weight classes, shattered expectations, and took down the most dominant 168-lbs. fighter during the past four years, Canelo “Saul” Alvarez, to become the new king of the super middleweight division.

Many have doubted and feared that Crawford would fold under the pressure, but the walking think tank of the sport proved time and time again that his in-game thought process was out of this world.

It was a masterpiece. A combination of artistry and brutality.

The majority didn’t see that coming, but boy, did Crawford just hand Alvarez one of the most one-sided losses in his entire professional career?

It takes a village to function and win.

So, for that fight against Alvarez, we should also give credit to Crawford’s camp, headed by Brian “BoMac” McIntyre, who laid out a perfect game plan to pick the Mexican pug apart.

Crawford couldn’t do it alone. The synergy between him and BoMac is a testament to his will to win, and the solid proof that no Bud dub would be perfect without the corner’s in-synch adaptive strategy against their opponents.

Looking into the lens as a die-hard boxing fan, there were some unique things that Crawford’s camp utilized to shut down Alvarez’s strengths, a good kick starter to slow down his signature hounding pressure and aggression.

They weren’t just corner reminders.

They were tactical tools built in phases that would have to be perfectly executed to grasp and marvel at the spectacle that only a few believed Crawford would achieve.

What were these strategies? How did Crawford figure Alvarez out?

THE JAB GOT THE JOB DONE

Crawford’s camp knew the memo. In order to set the tone, they have to utilize Bud’s efficient jabs to maintain the distance.

However, they not only did this to pile up some emergency points in the score cards, but they also flaunted a variation of jabs that neutralized Alvarez’s tendency to dictate the pace and move forward with hounding pressure.

In the first 30 seconds of Round 1, Crawford threw a double jab-left hook combination that hit Alvarez cleanly. Although it did not stop the Mexican from pressing, those shots were warning hits that sent a message.

Come rounds 4 upwards, Crawford mixed things up with a stagnant lead hand that ended up with slow-paced jabs, finished by a quick burst of three successive jabs that completely caught the Alvarez camp guessing.

With the amount of jab variation that Crawford did, Alvarez became hesitant to continue with his pressure, resorting to frustrating haymakers that Bud read perfectly.

SPEED KILLS

Unlike his TKO victory over Errol Spence Jr., where he grabbed most of the momentum through his counterpunching, Crawford proved that he can fire first and initiate the slugfest against Alvarez.

The Mexican camp may have underestimated Crawford’s speed due to the weight gain, and oh man, did the champ tag him with flurries that put the crowd on their feet.

In this fight, Crawford delivered something new, and that was picking his moments when to throw his punching bursts.

It was an in-rhythm sequence, as if Crawford practiced the situations when to let his hands go and let the speed do the talking.

Alvarez couldn’t handle it. He was too slow to react. Crawford kept on hitting him with two punches on the back foot at will.

THE PIVOT AND THE TURN

That was calculated aggression.

Crawford used the pivots and the turns to his shoulder to perfection.

Notice that Crawford didn’t stand in front of Alvarez for too long? After hitting him with the combinations, the newly-crowned super middleweight king wisely pivoted to his left or turned to his right.

But why did he do that?

It’s simple. It was to avoid Alvarez’s incoming counter punch.

Perfect game plan. It was a mix and match of an efficient offense backstopped by an impenetrable defensive strategy.

THE ART OF THE BACK STEP

I think this is one of the most underrated adjustments that Crawford did to bag the win.

During the emergency rounds where Alvarez thought they needed a knockout to preserve his legacy, Crawford was like a punching manual inside the ring.

To parry the excessive power shots that Alvarez threw, all Crawford needed was a single step to his back that put everything out of balance.

The result? Alvarez is now too far away from his desired hitting distance, giving Crawford plenty of room to pull back and set up for the left hook counter.

It was deceptive, it was textbook. It was a boxing 101 class served in a joint at Guadalajara.

ELBOWS CAN BE USED FOR DEFENSE

Just like what Bud said, when everyone is playing chess, he is playing checkers.

He was always two steps ahead.

When the sixth round came and Alvarez turned it up, Crawford displayed an impressive elbow block defensive move that negated the Mexican’s intent to punish his mid-section.

It may be simple for the majority’s eyes, but using elbows to deflect punches needs timing, great anticipation, and on-point prediction of where the punches will be generated.

Bud’s eyes were always locked onto where Alvarez would like to set up his punches. If he threw downwards, Crawford ducked low and enclosed his rib cage with his shoulders.

When Alvarez unleashed from the upper section, Crawford rose, held high guard high, and repositioned his elbows within the level of his shoulders.

That was stellar. Sometimes, offense will not always be the highlight of a win, but putting yourself in a defensive stance that can absorb everything can take you to greater heights.

“We knew Crawford was a great fighter,” Alvarez said during his post-fight interview.

“I did what I was supposed to do. I tried in every way. He deserved all the credit. I tried my best tonight, and I just couldn’t figure out the style. He has everything.”

Bud has done it. With the massive victory over Alvarez, he became the first boxer in the four-belt era to claim undisputed distinction in three different weight classes.

Crawford not only left Las Vegas speechless, but he also left a mark on the sport of boxing.

Uncharted territory, a 13-month ring inactivity, weight class adjustment, name it. Crawford had them all.

No matter what the consequences were, champions were built to overcome disaster.

What’s next for Bud?