Canelo Alvarez (34) and Terence Crawford (37) have already reached an agreement to face each other on September 13 in Las Vegas, according to Keith Idec on the website of the American media outlet The Ring. It would be an evening framed in the Riyadh Season organized by Sheikh Turki Alalshikh. This fight was the great project that the Saudi promoter wanted to make a reality this year after having focused since its irruption in the sport of the 16 ropes in heavyweight fights.
It did not seem like an easy option, as ‘Bud’ Crawford had to move up two weight classes, but from the beginning the American insisted that this would not be a problem. It was Alvarez who initially showed reluctance because of the big weight difference between the two, but as soon as he met with Alalshikh in London a few weeks ago, negotiations got underway. In any case, it is a duel that Crawford has long had in mind. In fact, his climb began last August, when he faced Israil Madrimov for the super welterweight title, without being at his best.
For his part, the Guadalajara native fought twice last year, defeating Jaime Munguia in May and Edgar Berlanga in September. This year he hopes to keep his usual fight dates, so it is more than likely that on May 3 he will get back in the ring. His most likely opponent would be IBF super middleweight champion William Scull, which would allow the Jalisco native to reunify a division in which he was already undisputed.
Crawford is more than willing to take the risk, not only for financial reasons, but because he would have the option of becoming an absolute in a third division, as long as Canelo beats Scull. No one has achieved that in the four-belt era. In fact, simply defeating the most mediatic star in boxing today would carry a huge prize in terms of popularity and prestige. In any case, the Omaha native’s move is very risky, especially since he has fought only once a year between 2020 and 2024.