Key Takeaways
- Saúl “Canelo” Alvarez says his unanimous-decision loss to Terence Crawford was caused by his mind not being right during fight week, not by poor training or underestimating Crawford’s skills.
- Alvarez praises Crawford as a smart, complete fighter and refuses to make excuses, but admits he regrets not securing a rematch clause and was surprised by Crawford’s retirement soon after the upset.
- Having taken time to recover from elbow surgery and deal with family matters, Alvarez says he’s learned from the loss and is now focused on his return against undefeated WBC champion Christian Mbilli.
Saúl “Canelo” Alvarez has finally offered his clearest explanation yet for the biggest upset of his recent career, saying his unanimous decision loss to Terence Crawford had less to do with boxing ability than where his head was before the opening bell.
Speaking with Ariel Helwani, Alvarez admitted that his gym preparation wasn't the issue ahead of last September's blockbuster. Instead, he said his mental focus disappeared during fight week. “I did everything good in the training camp, but my mind wasn't there,” Alvarez said. “I feel like I wasn't there thinking about other things. A lot of things happen in the fight week.”
He added that while his body was prepared, “if your mind is not there, it's not the same.”
The comments mark the first time Alvarez has publicly identified what he believes cost him the undisputed super middleweight championship. Crawford (42-0, 31 KOs) stunned the boxing world by moving up two weight classes and defeating Alvarez (63-3-2, 39 KOs) by unanimous decision, becoming the undisputed champion before announcing his retirement just three months later.
Despite the defeat, Alvarez made it clear he isn't questioning Crawford's talent. “He's a good fighter. He's very intelligent. He have everything,” Alvarez said, noting there was nothing about Crawford's performance that surprised him because he already understood the challenge.
Instead, he believes the biggest mistake was internal rather than tactical. “Everything is because my mind wasn't there,” he said. “I don't want to victimize myself... it's already happened. I need to move forward and make sure it doesn't happen again.”
Alvarez also acknowledged another regret stemming from the fight: failing to secure a contractual rematch. “It was a mistake on my side to not sign the rematch,” he said, adding that champions should typically protect themselves with a rematch clause.
Even so, he said he still hopes Crawford eventually returns from retirement. “I hope that fight, that rematch, come. If not, it's fine. We need to move forward.”
Alvarez admitted he was surprised when Crawford retired, saying, “As a fighter, we want a rematch... it surprised me a lot.”
Those comments build on remarks Alvarez made earlier this year after running into Crawford at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt. At the time, Alvarez said fans deserved a second fight and called Crawford's retirement “sad,” while revealing he had learned valuable lessons from the loss and taken extra time to recover from elbow surgery before plotting his return.
Now, Alvarez's attention has shifted back to the ring. He is preparing to face undefeated WBC champion Christian Mbilli after postponing their originally scheduled September bout because of family matters.
