LAS VEGAS — "Mighty"
Mohammed Alakel graduated to a grand stage Saturday, fighting in the United States for the first time in his 11-month career to kick off the main card on Netflix of the
Canelo Alvarez-Terence Crawford event at Allegiant Stadium.
The opponent tasked to spoil the lightweight prospect’s showcase was Travis Crawford, no relation to the headliner.
Jumping from six to 10 rounds,
Alakel proved he was more than ready for the occasion by landing a unanimous decision and gaining incredible experience along the way.
Judges awarded Alakel with scores of 99-91, 99-91 and 98-92.
Alakel (6-0, 1 KO) displayed tremendous activity from the opening round and a varied shot selection to control distance and decisively beat Crawford (7-5, 2 KOs).
It was all Alakel in the first half of the fight, and the CompuBox punch stats further proved that as the Abel Sanchez-trained fighter outlanded Crawford 130-25. By the end, Alakel had outlanded Crawford 223-75.
But Crawford never quit and tried to get inside to make things rough and rugged. Although he landed some crisp shots, they were few and far between to get any serious attention from Alakel.
Alakel, a 21-year-old from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, turned pro in October and has fought exclusively on high-profile Riyadh Season events.
Crawford, a 22-year-old from Corpus Christi, Texas, has lost three consecutive fights.
Manouk Akopyan is The Ring’s lead writer. Follow him on X and Instagram: @ManoukAkopyan