Canelo Alvarez is rumored to next fight junior middleweight Terence Crawford in May 2025.
This fight has not been confirmed, and Canelo would have been criticized if he accepted it. Crawford, two divisions down at 154, has no experience at 168 and is coming off a narrow decision win in his junior middleweight debut.
PPV potential
Superstar Canelo (62-2-2, 39 KOs) will return to the ring in May to defend his three 168lb titles, and he needs a significant fighter that fans want to watch to continue bringing in the PPV buys he has been doing in the past during his best years.
Turki Al-Shiekh is reportedly interested in a fight between Canelo and WBA 154lb champion Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs). Canelo reportedly asked for $150 million for Crawford, which may be more than Turki would be willing to pay, considering Terence has never proven to be a PPV draw.
It’s a matchup that would fire up die-hard boxing fans, who have heard of the 37-year-old Crawford, but perhaps not the general public as he’s had just one high-profile fight in his 16-year professional career. against Errol Spence in 2023.
Crawford’s PPV history
- Errol Spence: 700,000 purchases
- Shawn Porter: 135,000
- Amir Khan: 150,000
- Viktor Postol: 50,000
The top 168 lb contenders are even less familiar to casual boxing fans than Crawford. Some of them would be a risk for the 34-year-old Canelo because they have size, youth and power.
Canelo’s choice
The way Canelo fought a very limited and unqualified Edgar Berlanga in his last fight on September 14 suggests he needs to be more selective in his selection picks for his matches.
The top 168 lb. contenders
Christian Mbilli
Osley Iglesias
Diego Pacheco
William Scull
Canelo didn’t want to fight David Benavidez or David Morrell when they were campaigning at 168. They would have preferred to use the small, old and unqualified Terence Crawford as an opponent. However, Canelo would have far more risk in a fight against Benavidez or Morrell than Crawford.
“Back in the ring! Everything points to Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez’s first fight in May or June 2025. Although his opponent has not yet been confirmed, people expect him to face Terence Crawford,” reports Televisa Puebla on X.
