LAS VEGAS — Terence Crawford knew Canelo Alvarez didn’t possess the size advantage that so many detractors anticipated.

It came as no surprise to Crawford that he felt physically stronger than the former undisputed super middleweight champion during a 168-pound title fight he won by unanimous decision Saturday night at Allegiant Stadium. Crawford didn’t seem to hurt at any point in their bout, but several of his punches moved Alvarez backward and the supposedly smaller fighter took his power without incident.

Crawford, 37, boxed above the welterweight limit of 147 pounds only once before he moved up two divisions to challenge Alvarez for The Ring, IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO super middleweight crowns. The five-division champion from Omaha, Nebraska, reminded doubters during his post-fight press conference that he warned them all along Alvarez’s history in the super middleweight division wouldn’t factor into their fight.

Alvarez (63-3-2, 39 KOs) lost for the first time at the super middleweight limit (11-1). Only Crawford, Floyd Mayweather and undisputed light heavyweight champ Dmitry Bivol have beaten the 35-year-old Guadalajara native during a celebrated career that spans 19 years.

“I was stronger, I punched harder and that was just it,” Crawford said. “A lot of people put too much into me moving up in weight and things like that. But like I told y’all once before, Canelo is not a big guy [5-foot-7½]. He’s a smaller guy fighting in a big weight class. Me and him is practically almost the same height. I’m a little taller [5-8]. My arms [are] longer.

“He got a little wider frame, but he’s a little shorter. But all in all, we’re around the same size. So, by y’all saying, ‘Oh, Canelo’s this massive size,' it was disrespect. Then, when y’all seen me weigh in, then y’all say, ‘Oh, well, they about the same.' It’s not a big difference.”

There was a sizeable difference in skill that favored Crawford (42-0, 31 KOs), who, like Alvarez, weighed in at 167½ pounds. He mostly befuddled the slower Alvarez from a southpaw stance throughout their bout and defeated the four-division champ on the cards of judges Tim Cheatham (115-113), Max De Luca (115-113) and Steve Weisfeld (116-112).

The odds were almost down to even by the time the opening bell rang for a main event Netflix streamed worldwide, yet this was considered a dangerous fight for Crawford.

The hard-hitting Alvarez even knocked out former light heavyweight champ Sergey Kovalev in the 11th round of their 175-pound championship match in November 2019. Each of Alvarez’s last eight bouts have gone 12 rounds, though, and Crawford considers him a flat-footed fighter who wouldn’t be able to deal with his movement and angles.

Though that’s how their fight unfolded, Crawford admitted Alvarez made matters difficult for him at times.

“I’m not saying it was an easy night,” Crawford said. “By far, it wasn’t easy. It just looked like that. But it definitely wasn’t easy. He’s definitely at the top of my opponents that I have faced.”