If reports are true, the boxing world may very well see two of the greatest fighters of this generation—Canelo Alvarez (62-2-2, 39 KOs) and Terence Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs)—in a superfight this September.
According to ESPN, citing unnamed sources, Crawford and Alvarez are set to headline a September 13 card to be organized by Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority. Alalshikh also organized Crawford’s latest bout—against Israil Madrimov for the WBA and WBO interim light middleweight belts—and is an emerging power broker in boxing.
Alalshikh also organized the two Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk heavyweight wars and the Fury vs. Francis Ngannou crossover, among others.
The Ring Magazine reported the same, noting that an agreement is already in place. However, no contracts have been signed yet, although the fight is expected to be in Las Vegas. It will also be for Alvarez’s WBA, WBC, and WBO belts at super middleweight.
A Huge Step Up in Weight for Terence Crawford Against Biggest Boxing Draw
Alvarez’s apparent interest in brokering the fight with Crawford is a 180-degree turn from his original position. Initially, the Mexican great had dismissed the American’s repeated challenges but is now apparently open to the fight.
Should it push through, the Alvarez-Crawford clash will see the latter going up two weight classes from 154 directly to 168, where the former is the reigning king. It will be the second consecutive fight Crawford will jump up in weight if ever, having done so already against Madrimov, where he moved from his natural weight of 147 to 154.
Crawford, a four-division world champion like Alvarez, will have six to seven months to bulk up to 168 for the superfight.
In the interim, it looks like the super middleweight champ will be defending his three belts first on Cinco De Mayo weekend. Reports indicate it will be against William Scull, who won the belt the IBF stripped from Alvarez in July 2024 because he refused to fight Scull, the IBF’s mandatory challenger then.
