Canelo Alvarez is boxing’s most influential fighter. An icon and a world champion, he finds himself at the centre of a colossal fight in Las Vegas on Saturday.

Canelo will defend the undisputed super-middleweight world titles at Allegiant Stadium on the edges of the city’s neon strip against unbeaten American Terence Crawford.

It is a fight that has divided boxing fans and the boxing business. The contest is being promoted by Dana White, the man behind the rise and rise of the UFC, and it is his first boxing promotion. Obviously, it is being bankrolled by Turki Alalshikh, the man behind the Saudi Arabian boxing revolution, and it is not his first promotion.

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Canelo against Crawford is also being screened on Netflix, which is part of the broadcaster’s apparent move to cover increasing amounts of live sport. If it all seems a bit new and edgy, just remember that Canelo and Crawford have been shaped by a life in boxing’s most torrid and old-fashioned gyms.

They are certainly not Love Island rejects or two men in a freak fight. Please, don’t let the hype and glam distract you from a genuinely fantastic fight.

Canelo has been a professional boxer since he was 15, was fighting 10 and 12-rounders as a teenager, and won his first world title in 2011. The Crawford bout will be his 29th world-title fight. He has held world-title belts at four weights and lost just two of his 67 fights. He is still only 35. He would be unique in any era of the professional boxing business. And holding a world title first at super-welterweight and then briefly at light-heavyweight means he has fought inside a huge space of 21lb.

The Mexican has also run out of challengers at his weight and the weight below him, and that is where Crawford enters the party.

Both men have been in the top three or four boxers in the world for a long, long time. They have operated at an elite level but been separated by as many as 28lb; talk of a Canelo and Crawford fight has been heard in boxing’s corridors for a long time. Last year, Alalshikh announced that the rumours were over, and he set in motion the deal for the fight.

In boxing, it is a fun game to guess the purses involved; it is clear that both are making more than they have ever made in a fight, but the real figures are never revealed. A purse of $200m is accepted as the final fee, and the split is thought to favour Canelo considerably, with perhaps 75 per cent going his way. That sounds about right.

Crawford, who is 37, won his first world title in Glasgow back in 2014. He was 134lb on the night; his next title was at 140lb, and then he moved to full welterweight and the 147lb limit. In August of last summer, during the Riyadh Season event in Los Angeles, he moved to super-welterweight, weighed 153lb on the night, and was not overly convincing in his 12-round win over Israil Madrimov (as a guide, Canelo had been that weight in 2011). Still, the Madrimov fight led to the hurried chat of a showdown with Canelo.

Crawford is unbeaten in 41 fights with 19 wins in world-title fights. He has not fought in over a year and has, instead, slowly transformed his body from being a big welterweight to pushing the limits on the scales at super-middleweight. He is unrecognisable now, no longer the lean lightweight.

The danger is that he will have lost some speed, and that will be crucial against Canelo, who has been a full super-middleweight since 2018. The truth is that no amount of instant and impressive muscle gain can match the natural strength of an opponent who has been at the weight for so many years.

Still, Crawford will not be thrown all over the ring by Canelo, that is for sure. It’s boxing, and not wrestling.

It is a fine fight, still a fight with a lot of unknowns, which seems strange considering they have fought a combined total of 108 fights. Canelo has so often breezed through a fight when it was thought he would struggle, and conversely made hard work of easy nights. Crawford did have to work hard against Madrimov last summer and that, on reflection, looks like a bad form guide for the showdown against Canelo.

However, this fight has something special about it, and it will certainly not be easy for either man to pull off the win – a draw, by the way, is a decent option.

There is a chance that caution, skill and smart boxing rule, and that will make for a technical fight. There is also a chance that Canelo wants to force the pace, and then we would have a wonderful fight on our hands. Crawford, you see, has never been under sustained pressure.

The sensible prediction is Canelo on points; the smart prediction is a close, close Crawford win.

Canelo Alvarez Already Has Next Opponent in Line, Poised to KO Terence Crawford

Canelo Alvarez is just days away from stepping into the ring against Terence Crawford at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. The two will clash for Canelo’s undisputed super middleweight crown in what many experts are calling a razor-close matchup, despite ‘Bud’ moving up two weight classes. Even the betting odds for the fight on Netflix reflect how evenly matched this showdown appears to be.

While Canelo remains a slight favorite, attention has also turned to what lies ahead for the Mexican superstar. His longtime trainer, Eddy Reynoso, recently shed light on the path forward. It’s already known that after the Crawford bout, Canelo has two fights left on his four-fight deal with His Excellency Turki Alalshikh. Now, Reynoso has revealed who might be waiting in line as one of those future opponents.

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Canelo Alvarez wants revenge

Speaking to CNN en Español a couple of days ago, Reynoso was pressed about Canelo’s last fight before he retires. Reynoso didn’t mince words, as he revealed his star fighter’s intentions beyond Terence Crawford. “Against Dmitry Bivol. I know Saul can beat him. We were close to doing it. I think after this fight, we’re going to reconsider what we want,” Reynoso said. “I have confidence in Saul, because I’ve known him my whole life. I know how far he can go.”

As for Crawford, Reynoso has enough confidence in his star pupil to predict a knockout. “I know that with the preparation we’re doing, we’re going to knock out Crawford,” Reynoso said. “After seeing that result, we’ll see what’s next for February or May. I’d love to fight with Bivol.” When asked whether Canelo had expressed a desire to run it back with Dmitry Bivol once he is done with Crawford, Reynoso said, “This is the first time I’m saying this in front of the cameras.”

“I didn’t have a goal in mind, but we’ve been working well in the gym,” he added during the interview. “I’ve seen Saul’s ability. We’ve done other things in training that we couldn’t have done because of injuries we’ve had. I think we’re doing well. We’re working well physically and mentally.” Bivol, of course, shocked the world back in May 2022 when he outboxed Canelo Alvarez to secure a unanimous decision win at T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas.

Bivol was expected to meet rival Artur Beterbiev in a long-awaited rubber match, but the Russian’s recent back surgery has thrown that plan into uncertainty. For now, Alvarez’s focus remains firmly on Terence Crawford—a challenge that, despite Eddy Reynoso’s confidence, looms as a steep mountain to climb. And weighing in on the debate, none other than Mike Tyson has shared his thoughts on whether Canelo has what it takes to prevail.

Mike Tyson wants Terence Crawford to win

Heavyweight legend Mike Tyson hasn’t made his admiration for Terence Crawford a secret. The former heavyweight champion values what Crawford brings to the table – fight IQ, skill set, and ability to make adjustments mid-fight. Despite all that, ‘Iron’ Mike is not sure whether ‘Bud’ can pull off an upset against Canelo Alvarez.

“I want Crawford to win, but it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen,” Tyson admitted on The Big Podcast. “I would like for it to happen.” He went as far as to warn Terence Crawford about the power and experience Canelo will bring inside the ring. “This guy [Alvarez] is a hard puncher; he’s a smart fighter. I want to see it.”

It appears it’s not just Canelo Alvarez or his trainer who sees the Terence Crawford fight as a foregone conclusion – even Mike Tyson appears to predict Canelo’s win.

Terence Crawford prototypes are few and far between, which means Canelo Alvarez can only try to find fellow fighters who can mimic the prolific switch-hitting style that he will present when they meet Sept. 13 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Netflix.

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Terence Crawford Might Walk Away From The Super Middleweight Belts After Canelo

Terence Crawford says he’s coming for “those belts” in his fight against undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez this Saturday night on Netflix from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) views the fight as “business.” He wants what Canelo (63-2-2, 39 KOs) has got with his four titles. Interestingly, he’s not mentioned anything about defending them unless it involves a rematch with Canelo.

A Three-Division Quest

Winning those titles would make Crawford a three-division undisputed champion. He captured the undisputed championship previously at 147 and 140. He chose not to try to do the same at 154, likely due to the time involved with rounding up the three titles he needed. Canelo has made it convenient for Crawford by holding all four belts.

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The Catch and Release Plan

Without a rematch, Crawford will surely treat the belts in a catch-and-release type scenario, like fishing and letting the fish go. It’s too risky for him to hold onto the titles because the contenders are younger, bigger, and just as strong as Canelo.

If Crawford is ordered to defend against IBF mandatory Osleys Iglesias, it’s unrealistic to assume that he’ll make the defense.

“Canelo is big, but he’s not a massive fighter. He’s not 6’0″. He’s big, but he’s not this giant. So, picking Canelo was something that we looked deeply into at the time,” said Terence Crawford to Netflix about him not being concerned with the jump up in weight to fight Canelo Alvarez at 168.

Canelo’s Punching Power

It’s not the size of Canelo that Crawford has to be concerned with. It’s his punching power and his body attack. Alvarez hits harder than anyone Crawford has fought during his career, and he doesn’t have to load up to generate the power. We’ve seen Crawford hurt twice in his career against Yuriorkis Gamboa in 2014 and Egidijus Kavaliauskas.

In Terence’s last fight against Israil Madrimov at 154 on August 3, 2024, he handled his power well without showing signs of being hurt. However, Madrimov wasn’t loading up on his punches in the fight. He was just reaching out to connect. Both of Crawford’s eyes were still puffed up from the shots he had been hit by from Israil.

“I think it’s going to be a tough fight. He’s going to bring the best out of me, and I’m going to bring the best out of him. It’s going to be an exciting fight,” said Crawford. “It’s business. I want what he got, and that’s them belts and that’s the undisputed title.”

An interesting post-fight bonus is on the line for Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford next weekend, but the Mexican must buck a worrying trend to land it first.

Defending the undisputed super middleweight crown for the first time in his second reign, Canelo Alvarez will welcome the title charge of the unbeaten Terence Crawford on September 13.

And in the blockbuster title affair backed by Saudi adviser Turki Alalshikh, an interesting post-fight bonus is up for grabs for the main event victor.

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However, if Canelo in particular is to avail of that premium, he will have to bring an end to an unwanted four-year streak.

Knockout bonus on the line for Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford

While both Canelo and incoming challenger Crawford would likely be more than happy with a win by any method in their title fight; however, they would be leaving some lucrative spoils on the table.

As confirmed by the royal adviser Alalhsikh, in a bid to bring around more activity, a post-fight financial bonus is up for grabs between the duo.

And following their respective disappointing performances en route to wins over William Scull and Israil Madrimov last time out, Canelo and Crawford have been offered an incentive.

“We will not have [a fighter who is running] anymore [on our shows], this is the first thing,” Alalshikh said in June. (H/T The Ring)

“The second [thing], we will have in [Alvarez vs. Crawford] and [future] fights, bonuses for KOs,” He continued.

Having being forced the twelve-round distance in each of his six most recent wins at the super middleweight limit, Canelo will have to go against the grain to take advantage of that post-fight bonus, however.

Canelo Alvarez’s most recent knockout win

Racking up six straight wins since his light heavyweight title fight loss to Dmitry Bivol, interestingly enough, Canelo’s most recent win by stoppage came in his first undisputed super middleweight title fight.

Pitted against then-IBF super middleweight champion Caleb Plant in a tense 2021 grudge match, Jalisco star Canelo would prevail to capture all the gold at 168lbs.

And following their bad-blooded pre-fight verbal and physical assaults on each other, Canelo would add the IBF crown to his mantle with a penultimate round knockout win at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

For Crawford to win a post-fight bonus, he would first need to overcome the odds as the smaller man against Canelo; however, his staggering 11-fight knockout spree was halted in his forgettable decision win over Madrimov last summer.