Despite acknowledging the verdict, Alvarez persists in questioning the finality of the outcome. In an interview with The Ring, he expressed his view that Crawford ought to provide a second bout “to fully earn recognition,” thus attaching stipulations to a result already established. Alvarez furthermore cited a left elbow issue, subsequently corrected by an operation in October, as a contributing element he feels hindered his display during the fight.
He has linked the fight’s conclusion to the prospect of another encounter, which he presumes would enable him to perform optimally and alter the perception of the defeat. By this account, the loss is still provisional, not definitive.
Crawford has displayed no inclination to revisit that subject. During a recent segment on The Pivot Podcast, he reaffirmed his retirement from boxing and expressed contentment with his career’s conclusion. In his view, the contest with Alvarez signified not the start of additional controversy, but the concluding segment of an accomplished trajectory.
Alvarez has publicly stated his acceptance of Crawford’s retirement and comprehension of the choice. Simultaneously, he noted a common occurrence in boxing history: that former titleholders occasionally make comebacks. This comment places the onus on Crawford, rather than Alvarez, to substantiate that his triumph needs no additional endorsement.
This disparity characterizes the impasse. Crawford departed holding the championships and opted for retirement as a means to solidify the outcome. Alvarez, deprived of a chance for a second fight, persists in disputing his legacy instead of the factual result. Until Crawford alters his stance, the contest stands concluded, even if one participant maintains that its narrative ought to have concluded otherwise.
