Two of boxing’s biggest names today—Canelo Alvarez and Oleksandr Usyk—are headed for big paydays.
Canelo Alvarez to Headline Mexico-Heavy Fight Card
Canelo Alvarez (63-2-2, 39 KOs), a four-division world champion, is expected to return to action on September 12 as the headliner of a card billed “Mexico Against the World.” It will be the first fight card of Canelo Promotions, according to Turki Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, in a video he posted on X on Thursday.
“September 12 will be a big fight,” Alalshikh said. “This will be the first card for Canelo Promotions.”
The Mexican icon’s next opponent is yet to be announced, but Alalshikh has hinted that the 35-year-old fighter will be fighting for a world title in his return.
At the moment, the WBC, IBF, and WBO super middleweight titles, which Canelo Alvarez previously held alongside the WBA belt, are vacant after Terence Crawford’s surprising retirement. Crawford beat Alvarez for the said titles in September. Another Mexican, Jose Armando Resendiz, was named WBA champion, making him a potential opponent. Meanwhile, super middleweight contenders Diego Pacheco and Hamzah Sheeraz are expected to fight for the WBO title.
Oleksandr Usyk Tapped for Big Payday Fight
On the other hand, former unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk could be looking at a massive payday for his next fight after iV Boxing CEO Ed Pereira announced plans to turn the Ukrainian boxer into one of the world’s most recognizable athletes.
“Many years ago, boxing was the biggest sport in the world. Boxers were paid more than Babe Ruth in America at the time, and the heavyweight champion was the king of the world,” Pereira told ESPN. “We want to try and bring that back, where everyone knows who the world heavyweight champion is.”
According to ESPN, Usyk (24-0, 15 KOs) is among the fighters that iV Boxing is planning to feature either in San Francisco on July 11 or in Las Vegas in April. The unbeaten heavyweight, who holds impressive wins over fellow great Tyson Fury, last fought in July 2025, when he knocked out Daniel Dubois in five rounds. Usyk still holds the WBC, WBA, and IBF belts at heavyweight but relinquished the WBO version in April 2025.
Fabio Wardley (20-0-1, 19 KOs) has since been elevated to WBO titleholder, which potentially makes him a possible opponent for Usyk if he wants to regain unified status. The Ukrainian is also being rumored to be nearing a deal to fight former heavyweight titleholder Deontay Wilder.
