Tantalising super-fight between Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford makes ‘perfect sense’
Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford are both coming off dominant victories – but with ‘Bud’ challenging the Mexican ace, will we see this cross-division mega-fight soon? And who wins?
Boxing rarely gets these opportunities, when the sport’s biggest global superstar (Canelo) and pound-for-pound no.1 (Crawford) are – just about – in touching distance when it comes to weight and able to face-off in the ring.
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It happened in 2007 when Floyd Mayweather moved up to take on Oscar De La Hoya, a fight that generated $130million in revenue. In 2023, after Alvarez dismantled Jermell Charlo, Crawford announced on social media: “Canelo vs Crawford is the biggest fight in boxing.”
Alvarez praised Crawford after his one-sided beatdown of welterweight rival Errol Spence, proclaiming: “Congrats Terence Crawford, you are a f***ing great fighter, well deserve[d].”
The Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk heavyweight unification super-fight is undoubtedly a bigger deal to fight fans in the UK. But in terms of global interest, given the status of Canelo and Crawford in the USA, South and Central America – Canelo vs Crawford feels even more momentous.
But will we see it in the ring? Canelo cooled talk after his 12-round clinic against Charlo, saying: “Right now, the fight with Terence Crawford, it doesn't make sense.” But quickly added: “I just won, let me enjoy this.”
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So that indicates the 33-year-old just wanted to bask in his victory, rather than rule out a future Crawford showdown. Despite the three weight divisions between them, it’s actually a contest that makes perfect sense for both fighters – even beyond just the hundreds of millions of dollars on the table for it.
Alvarez boasted “nobody can live with this Canelo” as, fully fit again after wrist surgery, he laid a beating on Charlo. It clearly annoys this proud warrior that after his defeat by Dimitry Bivol at 175lb and then two uninspiring wins, he has slipped down the pound-for-pound rankings.
There are two realistic ways Canelo can put himself back in contention for no.1 spot. Defeat Bivol in a rematch – a tricky challenge given the larger Russian may just always have his number style-wise.
Or become the first man to beat Crawford, a smaller, older boxer who’s never fought above welterweight in his life.
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Option two looks far more achievable. And while some in the Canelo promotional business might worry that a Crawford contest is a ‘no-win fight’ – where if the Mexican is victorious, people will say it’s simply because he’s bigger, but if he loses it’s a humiliation – Alvarez surely sees it as a winnable fight.
After all, the super-middleweight king just took apart the undisputed light-middleweight champion. Why should he fear the undisputed champ from a division below that? Crawford won his first world title at 135lb and, at 36 years old, is not naturally getting any bigger.
For ‘Bud’ the appeal is simple: if the KO of Spence sealed his status as a modern great, leaping up three weight divisions to beat the 168lb version of Canelo would make Crawford an all-time great.
Despite riding an 11-fight knockout streak across 140lb and 147lb, Crawford would be unlikely to put a dent in Canelo’s iron chin. But he has other weapons. This slick, smart, versatile switch-hitter would back himself to outbox any opponent even close to his size.
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And while Canelo looked very good against Charlo, he still likes to fight at his own methodical pace. He will always have problems against truly elite fighters with accurate jabs and superior footwork. He also lost to Mayweather, a welterweight like ‘Bud’ – albeit that was a raw, weight-drained Canelo rather than the mature, filled-out version at 168lb.
Canelo is clever enough to know that Crawford would be a totally different proposition to Charlo as well. More skilled, more adaptable, proven at a higher level and – just as importantly – with a will to win that means he would never meekly accept defeat.
But a natural weight difference of 21lb – or a stone and a half – is hugely significant in a sport when even top fighters can come undone stepping up one weight division. Canelo may not have scored a knockout since 2021 when he stopped Caleb Plant, but he’s a far harder puncher than anyone Crawford will have faced.
Boxing wisdom suggests that class, in terms of skill, is more important than weight class. How else could Manny Pacquiao leap two divisions to brutalise De La Hoya or former middleweight Roy Jones Jr move up to heavyweight and dethrone world titlist Andy Ruiz?
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But in most cases, the beaten foe was either past-it or not in the same league talent-wise as their smaller opponent. Canelo is clearly not shot and, given his glittering CV and status as a four-weight world champion, will rightly believe he’s comparable to anyone in terms of talent.
Before we even see a Canelo-Crawford crossover fight, however, there are other boxes to be ticked. Unless he has a sudden change of heart – or is offered step-aside money – Spence is activating his rematch clause and fighting Crawford next.
Canelo, naturally, is never short of options. The winner of David Benavidez vs Demetrius Andrade in November will make an obvious next opponent for him at super-middleweight – possibly on Cinco de Mayo in May 2024.
Yet neither Benavidez nor Andrade would grab the attention of casual boxing fans in the way Canelo vs Crawford would. A tantalising super-fight in which both fighters will see a surefire way to seal their legacies, while the sporting world stops to watch. That might just be enough to see the two fighters meet in the ring one day soon.
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