Canelo Álvarez provides odd reason for Terence Crawford loss

Derren Austin
12 Feb 2026

Mexican star provides strange explanation for loss to Terence Crawford.

Canelo Álvarez has had 68 professional fights, and he’s only officially lost three of them. These losses have come to Floyd Mayweather Jr., Dmitry Bivol, and Terence Crawford, all technical masters and generational greats.

Still, Canelo is not used to losing, so each occasion it has happened will have no doubt been a distinctly bitter pill to swallow. After all, nobody likes to lose, least of all sportsmen.

Because of this, we have seen boxers try to explain away losses over the years. These “excuses” have provided for some humorous material and been mocked and derided by many, more so with the more outlandish of claims.

There is no better example than Deontay Wilder, who provided the boxing world with an endless list of what he gave as reasons for his rematch loss to Tyson Fury in 2020, the most published one being that his ringwalk outfit (flashy and with crowned skulls adorning layered shoulder pads) was too heavy and wore him out by the time he got to the ring.

There are others, but the point is that no boxer wants to feel like their best wasn’t enough, so they try to convince us that they simply weren’t at their best.

Well, Canelo Álvarez has become the latest to utilise this strategy, and his explanation for his September loss to Terence Crawford is certainly a strange one.

While speaking on Rick Reeno’s “Mr. Verzace Podcast”, Canelo stated, “I try, but my body doesn’t respond [during the fight]. I have cramps in my legs, so [it] doesn’t respond the way I really want. But you know, it is what it is. We learn from that and we move forward, and I know what mistakes I made in the fight. In the camp, too. But that’s what boxing’s about. I think a winner doesn’t mean you need to win every time.”

Canelo’s reasoning may not have gone down well with some, but ultimately, the Mexican superstar is just grappling with the concept of defeat like so many other fighters before and after him.

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