Canelo Álvarez, 34, and Terence Crawford, 37, have reached an agreement to face each other on September 13 in Las Vegas, as reported by Keith Idec on the American media web portal The Ring. This fight is part of the Riyadh Season, organized by Sheikh Turki Alalshikh. The Saudi promoter had been focusing on heavyweight fights since entering the sport, but this bout was a major project he wanted to realize this year.
The fight did not seem like a straightforward option, as Crawford would have to move up two weight categories. However, the American insisted that this would not be a problem from the beginning. Álvarez was initially hesitant due to the significant weight difference between them, but after meeting with Alalshikh in London a few weeks ago, negotiations started to move forward. Crawford has been interested in this fight for a long time, and he even began preparing for it last August when he fought Israil Madrimov for the Superwelter title, although it was not his best performance.
Álvarez fought twice last year, defeating Jaime Munguía in May and Edgar Berlanga in September. He plans to maintain his usual fight schedule this year, so it is likely that he will return to the ring on May 3. His probable opponent would be IBF super middleweight champion William Scull, which would allow Álvarez to unify the division, where he was already undisputed.
Crawford is willing to take the risk, not only for financial reasons but also for the opportunity to become the absolute champion in a third division, if Álvarez beats Scull. No one has achieved this feat in the era of four belts. Defeating the most prominent star in current boxing would also bring a significant increase in popularity and prestige. However, Crawford’s decision is risky, especially since he has only fought once a year between 2020 and 2024.