Canelo Alvarez, boxing’s biggest star, and Terence Crawford are close to finalizing a deal for a super middleweight championship fight on September 13 in Las Vegas, according to sources.
Crawford, who moved up to 154 pounds from 147 in August to win a title against Israil Madrimov, will jump two more weight classes to fight at the 168-pound limit. There won’t be any catchweight or rehydration clause for this fight, sources confirmed.
The fight is being organized by Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, who also helped set up Crawford’s last bout. However, the contracts have not yet been signed.
Before this highly anticipated showdown with Crawford, Alvarez (62-2-2, 39 KOs) is planning to defend his three 168-pound titles during the Cinco De Mayo weekend. He may face William Scull, who took the title from Canelo last year, on May 3 in Las Vegas. If Alvarez wins, he would regain his undisputed champion status.
Alvarez, 34, is still the WBA, WBC, and WBO champion at 168 pounds. The future Hall of Famer is ranked No. 5 pound-for-pound. In 2024, Alvarez earned decision victories over Jaime Munguia and Edgar Berlanga, knocking down each opponent in the process.
Since his decision loss to Dmitry Bivol in May 2022 at 175 pounds, Alvarez has won five consecutive fights. His only other loss came against Floyd Mayweather in 2013 at 152 pounds.
Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) is ranked No. 2 pound-for-pound by ESPN and is also a future Hall of Famer. The 37-year-old from Omaha, Nebraska, has not fought more than once a year since 2019. His biggest win came in July 2023 when he defeated Errol Spence Jr. in the ninth round by TKO to claim the undisputed welterweight title.
Crawford will not fight before his match with Canelo, as he focuses on moving his weight up to 168 pounds from 154. He is No. 1 boxer at 154 pounds and is a four-division champion, just like Alvarez.
