Spence wants a December rematch with Crawford to be contested up at light-middleweight after struggles to make 147 pounds
Errol Spence has confirmed that he intends to swiftly exercise his clause for a rematch against Terence Crawford, despite being absolutely blown away by his rival.
Crawford produced an all-time great performance to make history as boxing’s first male two-weight undisputed world champion of the four-belt era in Las Vegas on Saturday night, battering a bloodied and stunned Spence and delivering three ruthless knockdowns en route to a brutal ninth-round stoppage
‘Bud’ also laid a huge claim to the title of the world’s best pound-for-pound fighter, staying undefeated at 40-0 with 31 knockouts and inflicting Spence’s first professional loss in the process as he added the WBA, WBC and IBF titles at 147 pounds to the WBO strap he has held since 2018.
Three-division world champion Crawford is 8-0 since moving up to welterweight after a stint as undisputed at light-welterweight, knocking out everyone put in his path including now no fewer than six current or former world champions.
Despite the totally one-sided nature of what many had billed as the biggest occasion in the sport since Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao in 2015, Spence remains motivated to swiftly avenge his maiden defeat with a December bout that he hopes is contested up at the light-middleweight limit of 154 pounds, having said many times in the build-up to the fight that it would be his last at welter due to his struggle to make the weight.
“We’ve got to do it again. I would be a lot better, it would be a lot closer. We got to do it again,” Spence said immediately after the fight of another meeting with Crawford this year.
He later said in his post-bout press conference: “I’m definitely open to the rematch and hopefully it will be at 154 pounds.”
Asked if the public would “buy” a rematch between the duo after the completely one-sided nature of their first fight on Saturday, Crawford said: “Of course the public would buy it, look how many people came out to show us both support tonight.
“If the fight happens again I am pretty sure the support will come out again for both of us.”
Crawford also surprisingly appeared open to the prospect of moving up to 154 pounds to facilitate the rematch with Spence.
“147 pounds was kinda hard for me too,” he said. “I was already talking about moving up and challenging [undisputed light-middleweight world champion] Jermell Charlo, so 154 pounds wouldn’t be out of reach.”
Terence Crawford Names The Fighter Who Hit Him So Hard His ‘Body Stiffened’
Terence Crawford is over 40 fights into what has been an accomplished professional career to date.
The 37-year-old from Omaha, Nebraska made his debut back in 2008 and since then he has gone on to capture world titles across four weight classes, including the undisputed championship at super-lightweight and welterweight.
‘Bud’ is now just over one week away from the test of the highest magnitude as he gears up to challenge Mexican superstar Canelo Alvarez for the undisputed super-middleweight championship on September 13 at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Ahead of that fight Crawford has been speaking on the FULL SEND PODCAST, and when asked which past opponent hit him the hardest, Crawford didn’t hesitate to name Cuba’s Yuriorkis Gamboa as the one to do so, as he claims the former featherweight world champion made his body ‘feel stiff’ after catching him with big shots.
“Got to be [Yuriorkis] Gamboa … It’s just that he caught me off guard, coming in with my hands down, being cocky, things like that and he just caught me to where my whole one side of my body got stiff, so it was just like ‘boom’ he shocked me.”
Crawford stopped Gamboa in the ninth round of their world title bout at the Century Link Center in Omaha back in June 2014, making the maiden defence of his WBO world lightweight title in the process.
The surprising change in Terence Crawford during Canelo camp that has shocked his own team
Moving up two weight classes as a boxer is no mean feat; maintaining a fight-ready physique and improving your athletic performance while doing so is even harder.
As a result, fans have voiced their concerns that Terence Crawford will lose his signature fluid footwork, speed and versatility as a result of the 14lb he has put on for his upcoming super middleweight clash with Canelo. But his strength and conditioning coach Chet Fortune claims the opposite is true – Bud is only getting better.
“The beauty of the situation is that we have members of our team who are not in camp [all the time] – I’m talking about people like his agent, PR team and photographers, who are only with us at certain points,” Fortune says.
“Everybody that’s seen him recently, whether he’s sparring or doing his boxing work, says it looks like he’s got more speed.”
Crawford agrees. In a promotional documentary series for the fight, he tells Netflix: “Putting on muscle doesn’t mean that you’re going to be slower. But you punch a little harder.”
Below, Fortune explains why super middleweight will suit his fighter, and why he expects to see Crawford’s arm raised come 13 September.
Why fighting at 168lb will suit Terence Crawford, according to his team
It is only natural to assume Canelo has the upper hand going into this fight as far as the weight class is concerned at least. He has been fighting at super middleweight for years, this is the body he is accustomed to using, whereas Crawford has to adapt to a physique that is largely foreign to him.
However, while Bud is now sporting broader shoulders and a more muscular upper body in general, Fortune says the extra 14lb “isn’t significant enough to slow him down”.
“I think 168lb is a natural weight for him,” he continues. “To me, he’s not sacrificing a thing. [For the fight] he’s not going to be dehydrated and he’s going to have the muscle mass we expect on his frame [rather than losing muscle in a sharp calorie cut to make weight].
“From a speed perspective, if anything, I think he looks faster at 168lb than he did when he fought at 154lb. Everybody we brought into camp has had an opportunity to see him in the ring, whether that be on the pads or the bag work or sparring, and they’ve all said the same thing: ‘How has he increased in size but still looks just as fast, if not faster?’”
Despite only recently adding mass to his frame, Crawford will not look like the smaller fighter in the ring either, according to Fortune. The pair are similar heights, they will come into the fight at the same weight, but Bud has a larger reach.
“Canelo has more experience fighting at this weight, getting hit by guys at this weight and throwing punches at guys this weight,” Fortune says. “But from a genetic standpoint, Bud’s not the smaller guy.”
Terence Crawford’s training partners past and present provide perfect preparation
Canelo may be more accustomed to fighting at super middleweight in the public eye, but Crawford has accrued plenty of experience in the ring with heavier fighters, albeit behind closed doors.
“What people don’t realise about Bud is that, naturally, his main sparring partners are 168lb or 175lb. We’ve done that for a long time,” Fortune explains.
“There’s Steven Nelson who, before he fought Pacheco, was rated in the top 10 of all four federations – he’s naturally a 215lb guy who gets down to 168lb, so he packs a lot of power.
“Then there’s a lot of other fighters like Lester Martinez. So it’s not like I felt like we needed to change a lot for Canelo.”
Nelson has also had his say on the situation, telling Fighthype: “It’s not like he’s a small guy and he’s putting on a bunch of weight – he’s always been bigger and he’s always had to cut down. The difference for this fight is he won’t have to cut down.
“He’s going to do something that nobody is expecting… He’s always had power, but now it’s a different power. He still has the speed, movement and ability – it’s crazy.”
Terence Crawford’s Final Physical Appearance Reveal Has Canelo Alvarez Fans Scared
After what has been months of anticipation and excitement continuing to build, the boxing world is now just eight days away from getting to see Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford meet in the ring, as their showdown is all set for Allegiant Stadium on September 13 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Given how great both of these boxers are and their nearly immaculate respective resumés, fans are finding anything they can to try and figure out whether Canelo or Crawford will have the edge next Saturday. Of course, many are already leaning toward Canelo, given that Crawford is moving up several weight classes to challenge him.
Because many believe this size difference will ultimately decide who wins the fight, there has been a ton of intrigue around what Crawford will weigh when he enters the ring next weekend. And in the same vein as this, fans are curious to see what Crawford looks like when he fights.
Will Crawford have the same lean, speed-focused physique he has had throughout his career, or will he elect to bulk up some so he can better compete with Canelo’s power advantage?
It seems some of these questions have now been answered.
Terence Crawford Reveals Final Physical Appearance Before Canelo Alvarez Fight
Fans no longer need to wait about how Crawford will look when fighting Canelo, as he made an Instagram post on September 5 that showed him flexing with his shirt off, which was captioned, “8️⃣ days AND WE READY‼️”.
Crawford looks absolutely shredded in the photos, which makes clear that he didn’t put on too much size for this superfight.
This photo has since been posted across various social media channels. And fans seem to be impressed with the form Crawford is showing.
“Bud Crawford will push Canelo back, be stronger on fight night, and dig to the body like no other Canelo opponent has before,” one fan wrote in an X comment in reply to Ring Magazine’s post about Crawford’s physique.
Of course, a fighter’s physique ultimately doesn’t say anything about how they will fare in a fight. But it’s clear that Crawford is taking this fight as seriously as possible and appears to be in the best shape of his life right now.
Terence Crawford Suspicious of Jake Paul vs Gervonta Davis Fight
Terence Crawford has shared his detailed take on Jake Paul vs Gervonta Davis which will take place on Netflix on November 14.
Paul. who last fought at cruiserweight and is ranked no. 14 in the division by the WBA, recently revealed that the contest will be at 195 lbs, 60 lbs more than Davis’ fighting weight.
Fans are keen to see how a more experienced fighter like ‘Tank’ Davis handles the weight difference, and Crawford has now shared his honest breakdown of the fight.
Terence Crawford predicts Jake Paul vs Gervonta Davis
Crawford reckons ‘The Problem Child’ is too big for Davis and can punch well, meaning the contest might be over with if Paul lands a clean shot on Davis. Speaking on the Full Send Podcast, Crawford said:
“I don’t know what’s going to happen with a 135 pounder going up against a 200 pounder, you know? If it’s scripted, then it’s going to be good for the for for the fans to watch.”
When asked if he means Paul and Davis would just go in there to spar, Crawford said, “It’s more of a business tactic than anything. That’s what Jake and Mike kind of did.”
Crawford also pointed out the dangers that Davis has to be aware of, saying, “Jake can punch with that right hand. Like I seen him, you know what I mean, up close and person like dude is big. He’s not as slow as people think he is.”
‘Bud’ Crawford claimed that both Paul and Mike Tyson held back on their punches when they fought each other last November. Crawford added, “Jake just Jake just too big. He too big. If they really go at it, he’s just too big. Tank ain’t going to be able to get in from that jab. Jake laying one good punch on on Tank. It’s over with.”
When asked if Paul vs Davis could go similar to Floyd Mayweather vs Logan Paul, Crawford said:
“Floyd’s experience came into play, you know, he started hitting him a little harder, started touching him to the body, you know, started making him work when he didn’t want to work.”
Is Terence Crawford right in his Gervonta Davis vs Jake Paul take?
‘Tank’ Davis is way more experienced that Paul and is exceptionally skilled. That said, there are weight classes in boxing for a reason. Paul is no longer a YouTuber turned pro-boxer but has been training in the sport for a considerable amount of time. Hence, the fight might actually turn out to be a physical mismatch even if it’s an exhibition.
Jake Paul brutally Warned, It’s Obvious he Won’t Survive A Jab Against Gervonta Davis If He Screws Up Once”: George Groves
George Groves has warned Jake Paul to avoid one mistake to prevent a knockout loss to Gervonta Davis in their exhibition bout.
Netflix will stream the unlikely exhibition clash between ‘Tank’ Davis and Paul on 14 November, which has got the boxing world talking.
While one former world champion has slammed critics of the fight, most ex-fighters have voiced their displeasure at seeing the WBA lightweight champion compete against the cruiserweight
The announcement of the fight, which has been described as ‘farcical’ by one contender, was preceded by talk of Anthony Joshua stepping in the ring to face ‘The Problem Child’, but the contest never materialised.
Jake Paul will get knocked out by Gervonta Davis if he makes one big mistake, claims George Groves
Instead, fans will be tuning in to watch the 135 lb ‘Tank’ face a weight disadvantage of at least 60 lbs on fight night.
It is not going to be sanctioned as a professional fight, and the exhibition will likely have stipulations in place, such as larger gloves, fewer rounds, and weight restrictions.
Even with these extra rules in mind, former super middleweight world champion Groves still believes a knockout could be on the cards for the undefeated professional Davis.
In an interview with Fightlens, the British boxer believes the gulf in ability will make all the difference, especially if Paul makes a certain mistake.
He said: “Jake Paul is a very good sort of white collar-esque boxer. He’s good and he looks good on the pads a bit, but the fine art, you can see there are levels to this game.
“Gervonta Davis, he might chin him. He doesn’t throw a lot of punches. He might be looking to slip and slide and wait. That might be Jake Paul’s downfall.
“He might try and rush in. He might think, ‘Oh, I’ve got this guy going’. And he hasn’t. And he gets walked onto (a shot).”
Gervonta has not lost as a professional, but his last fight against Lamont Roach was controversially ruled a draw in what some saw as an unfair decision in favour of the champion.
‘El Gallo’ has fought 13 times as a professional and has lost once to Tommy Fury two years ago.
While the Ohio fighter has recently competed against Mike Tyson and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, Groves does not believe Paul’s claims that he is a ‘real’ boxer.
“I don’t think he’s interested in a real fight, is he? Not the fact that he tells everyone he’s a real boxer. He’s not,” he said.
‘He Ain’t Got What It Takes to Beat Him’: Dmitry Bivol’s Trainer Bluntly Disses Canelo in Crawford Clash
Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford is just over a week away. Two of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the sport will collide when Alvarez puts his undisputed super-middleweight crown on the line against Crawford at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on September 13.
Crawford will be attempting to do something that only other men have managed to do during Canelo’s 67-fight career by claiming a victory over the Mexican superstar.
One of the fighters that managed to do that was Dmitry Bivol, who claimed a unanimous decision win when defending his WBA light heavyweight title against Alvarez in May 2022.
The man who was in the corner with Bivol that evening was Joel Diaz, while he also was the trainer of Israil Madrimov when he lost his WBA super-welterweight title to Crawford in August 2024.
Having experienced first hand what it is like to train fighters to face both Alvarez and Crawford, Diaz told The Ring that he sees the Mexican icon claiming the win next week.
“Canelo should win. I see him beating Crawford by a convincing decision. There is no way Crawford beats Canelo. Canelo is the king of the sport, and business-wise, he can’t lose. If he loses, boxing loses a lot of prestige.
“But don’t get me wrong, Crawford is one of my favourite fighters and pound-for-pound the best of this era. The fight will be interesting and back and forth for the first four rounds.
“Canelo has been hit by heavy hitters and never even flinched. As soon as Canelo feels that Crawford doesn’t have what it takes to hurt him, he is going to walk him down.”
Diaz then explained what he thinks will be the biggest factor in the bout.
“Crawford will make it a fight and fight back, but he’s a smart fighter and will play it safe once he’s hurt – that’s when Alvarez will take over.
“Crawford is not going to be exchanging punches with Canelo in the middle of the ring. “We’ve seen Crawford get buckled before, and believe me, Canelo hits harder than Yuriorkis Gamboa and Egidijus Kavaliauskas.”
With just days to go until fight night, all will soon be revealed just who comes out on top in the highly-anticipated mega-fight.
How Canelo moved away from traditional Mexican style ahead of Terence Crawford super-fight
Canelo Alvarez is a proud Mexican and is one of the country’s most successful fighters of all time – who returns on September 13 to take on Terence Crawford in an era-defining fight for the undisputed super middleweight titles.
Mexican fighters carry a proud tradition of being no-nonsense, all-action fighters who can go toe-to-toe with anyone that is put in front of them.
Alvarez is one of these men, but as we have seen him grow and develop in nearly 70 professional fights, he has also developed his own unique style that has seen him pull away from the traditional Mexican way of fighting.
He learns from every opponent he faces, and it is clear to see as you track the chronology of his career that important fights like his loss to Floyd Mayweather, his war with Miguel Cotto and his fights with Gennady Golovkin have all played an important role in shaping the Canelo we see today.
So, how exactly has Canelo adapted through adversity to become an all-time great?
Defensive nuance
Canelo has always been a defensively savvy fighter, able to make his opponents miss and then make them pay. But a turning point that seemed to put Canelo on another level was when he was outclassed by a veteran Floyd Mayweather Jr across 12 rounds.
Mayweather showed Canelo a different level of defensive mastery – making micro adjustments with his head and feet to create a hair’s breadth of space to keep him close enough to counter with precision.
Canelo had previously done as many fighters do and stayed in almost constant motion to never present a static target your opponent can gamble on, but what he learned from Mayweather is that you only need to move when it’s an absolute necessity, which allows for more energy down the stretch in a fight.
Two fights that are great examples of when this defensive adaptation came to the fore are his first fight with Gennady Golovkin in 2017 and when he faced Daniel Jacobs in 2019.
Canelo was the much faster and more explosive fighter against Golovkin and used this to his advantage. He would, while exchanging in the middle of the ring, lean back after he threw his punches to narrowly avoid the counter left hooks of Golovkin. When on the back foot, he would pivot away to his left and turn his head away, making the right hands of Golovkin miss by mere millimetres, and would never move unless something was coming his way.
Against Jacobs, it was a superb example of being able to download your opponent’s patterns early in a fight and see everything coming your way.
He knew that he had to stay close to Jacobs, who had the height and reach advantage, and he did this with elegant and otherworldly movement – able to make Jacobs miss with 17 shots in a row at one point and counter with heavy jabs and hooks.
This allowed him to walk Jacobs down, even though he was throwing far fewer punches, almost the opposite of a traditional Mexican fighter who looks to pour on pressure with high volume and less head movement.
Low-volume pressure fighting
After the Jacobs fight, Canelo opted to move up to light-heavyweight, an unprecedented decision for a man who was previously considered an undersized middleweight.
Sergey Kovalev was perhaps over the hill at this point, but was still an incredibly dangerous fighter, world champion and much larger than Alvarez.
Canelo, therefore, was forced to evolve once again to allow himself to get close and land his power shots on Kovalev.
To achieve this, Canelo relied heavily on a strong high guard, absorbing most of the shots Kovalev would throw and then exploding on the counter.
His head movement was still present, but he knew it was more risky to try and evade the shots from the bigger man because if he got caught, he would be in a compromised position and would risk getting knocked out.
Canelo shocked many by walking Kovalev down and countering his jabs with left hooks and overhand rights to great effect. He knew his opportunity would come when Kovalev would run out of steam due to unloading ineffective punches onto his gloves.
This was one of the most notable changes Canelo has made in the second half of his career, using the threat of his heavy counter punches to muzzle his opponents whilst staying in range all the time rather than trying to use his head movement to get close.
Between the second Golovkin fight, where we saw Canelo utilise a high volume style as we had seen for so many years against the likes of Shane Mosley and Alfredo Angulo, he threw almost half the amount of punches but landed a higher percentage.
Trap-setting
Canelo has become a master of not waiting for opportunities but creating them for himself using intelligence and educated pressure to force opponents to leave gaps in their defence for him to capitalise on.
This is not to say that Mexican fighters do not set traps, just that Alvarez does it in a unique way that is supremely effective and with more variety.
A perfect example of this is from slightly earlier in his career against Amir Khan.
Against Khan, Canelo came up against a man with extremely fast hands and feet. He knew he needed to catch Khan flat-footed to be able to put him down.
He did this by setting up the iconic overhand right that was the 2016 knockout of the year.
Throughout the early going of the fight, Canelo would mix his lead left hooks to head and body to create uncertainty in Khan, who was very reactive to Canelo’s feints.
Alvarez then proceeded to target the body, dropping his level by bending his legs to throw a jab or backhand to the body, which an intelligent fighter like Khan would pick up on and make adjustments to on the fly.
But the Mexican knew just what Khan would do. The Brit dropped his hands from his guard and attempted to pull back or pivot away from the body shots, which were perfectly set up.
Then in the sixth round, Canelo launched his attack, dropping his level, which stalled Khan’s feet and dropped his hands, opening up the head up to attack, and Canelo obliged by detonating an overhand and flattening Khan.
This exercise in patience, knowing he was dropping some of the early rounds, is something that other, more traditional fighters would not do and would generally opt to hunt down Khan as he tried to evade them, but Canelo brought Khan to him.
I typically try not to use column space to pick on fellow writers, so I hope this will be regarded merely as a professional critique and in no way a personal attack.
But in reading an article on ESPN.com’s boxing page Monday morning, my brow went full furrow over an opinion I read.
As the build to Saul “Canelo” Alvarez vs. Terence “Bud” Crawford gathers steam, Nick Parkinson wrote about various defining fights and moments for both men, assorted “bests” and “mosts” in their careers. And the article started with “best performance.”
For Crawford, the selection was his ninth-round stoppage of Errol Spence Jnr, the only fight any level-headed observer could select for that distinction. It was, by far, Crawford’s finest hour — a truly dominant victory over undoubtedly the best opponent he’d ever faced.
For Alvarez, the selection was his 2022 win over Gennady Golovkin in their third fight.
In a word: no.
Golovkin was 40 years old, about four years past the end of his prime, and the 32-year-old Canelo was supposed to thump him and cap their trilogy with the first emphatic win either had scored over the other. Instead Alvarez produced a flat, uninspired performance, and won by just two points on two cards against an opponent who was all but retired.
It wasn’t Canelo’s best performance or defining triumph. It shouldn’t even be listed in the top 10 for those superlatives.
But, hey, opinions vary, and I’m not here to pick a fight with Parkinson. Rather, I’ll gladly thank him for inspiring a column idea. Because he got me thinking: Whereas Crawford has an obvious best win, Canelo, after a 20-year pro career featuring 67 fights in six weight classes, 27 of them “world” title fights across four divisions, doesn’t have that one indisputably great win.
Alvarez has an overabundance of very good wins, enough to eventually make him an easy first-ballot Hall of Fame selection, but he doesn’t have that singular night where he defeated a prime, elite foe cleanly and clearly without some sort of asterisk attached.
In short, Parkinson got me wondering: If it’s not his third fight with Golovkin — and clearly it is not — what the heck is Canelo’s greatest win?
Here are, in chronological order, what I consider the top five candidates, and for each I’ll state the case for and the case against.
W 12 Miguel Cotto, Nov. 21, 2015
The case for: Alvarez mixed tactical boxing and power-punching aggression effectively enough to claim the lineal middleweight championship of the world against a future Hall of Famer. On paper, that’s a phenomenal victory. Even though most observers didn’t think it was as lopsided as the stereotypically Canelo-friendly scores (117-111, 118-110 and 119-109) would have you believe, there was no dispute over who won.
The case against: Cotto was never a full-sized middleweight, as indicated by the agreement to put the title on the line at a catchweight of 155 pounds (and by the defending champ officially scaling 153.5). And the Puerto Rican was, in retrospect, well past his best. He’d recently turned 35, and he would only score one more victory in his career, over made-to-order Yoshihiro Kamegai. And Canelo didn’t stop Cotto — never came close, really. This performance was highly efficient but never spectacular, and you’d hope an all-time great fighter would have something better than that on his resume.
W 12 Gennady Golovkin, September 15, 2018
The case for: Even at age 36, this version of “GGG” was almost certainly the best fighter Alvarez ever defeated. It was a highly entertaining fight — arguably 2018’s Fight of the Year and the best action scrap of their trilogy — and Alvarez really looked like he’d gone up a level compared to their first fight, a year earlier. (Well, at least for the first nine rounds, he did … )
The case against: Can a fight in which your older opponent rallies to arguably sweep the last three rounds, leaving the scorecards in doubt once again and opinions fairly well split down the middle over who deserved to win, really be a future Hall of Famer’s showcase performance? Alvarez painted three-quarters of a masterpiece in the Golovkin rematch, then left it unfinished. And as much as Alvarez proved he was no fraud in those first two Golovkin fights, plenty of people feel he deserved to go 0-2.
KO 11 Sergey Kovalev, November 2, 2019
The case for: Alvarez moved up two divisions from where he’d previously fought to face a full-fledged light heavyweight — and not just any light heavyweight, but one of the scariest pound-for-pound punchers of the era. And Canelo came through with arguably the most impressive knockout of his career, dramatically hurting, dropping and stopping “The Krusher” in the 11th round while trailing narrowly on two scorecards.
The case against: Kovalev wasn’t way past his prime, but he was at least a couple of years over that line, at age 36 against the truly prime 29-year-old Canelo. And the Russian had been stopped twice already, including just 15 months earlier by Eleider Alvarez. He was a once-fearsome fighter who had become, if not quite fragile, at least vulnerable. It would be unfair to refer to Alvarez selecting Kovalev for his light heavyweight debut as “cherry-picking,” but it’s worth noting that, two weeks earlier, Artur Beterbiev stopped Oleksandr Gvozdyk for the lineal title.
KO 8 Billy Joe Saunders, May 8, 2021
The case for: Saunders was undefeated and more or less in his prime at age 31, and in front of a crowd of more than 73,000 fans at AT&T Stadium in Texas, Canelo broke his orbital bone with an uppercut and made the Brit’s corner surrender. And at the press conference after the fight, Alvarez added to his legacy with an all-time great, F-bomb laden dismissal of a mouthy Demetrius Andrade.
The case against: Is anyone going to remember who Saunders was a generation from now? He was a tricky southpaw who’d beaten some good fighters, like David Lemieux, Martin Murray, Andy Lee and Chris Eubank Jnr, but everyone knew he was taking a massive leap in quality against Canelo. And even though Alvarez got the TKO, the ending was an anticlimax to a fight where neither man ever fully got going.
KO 11 Caleb Plant, November 6, 2021
The case for: One fight after stopping Saunders, Canelo checked off most of the same boxes against Plant. Undefeated opponent? Check. Slick, clever style? Check. A big underdog against Alvarez? Check. Whereas Saunders never fought again, Plant has continued on but has gone 2-2, so, it’s hard to say who had the better post-Canelo path. But Alvarez deserves credit for stopping them both, especially for the body shots that cemented Plant’s demise.
The case against: Again, a lot of Saunders redux, as Plant will be remembered as a good, solid super middleweight who was a little out of his depth against the elite fighters of his time. There’s nothing to knock in Alvarez’s performance, but … could a man who served as the face of boxing for roughly a decade really retire with his most exceptional win coming against a relative also-ran like Plant?
There are plenty of other fights to consider on Alvarez’s record, but they each come with a big “yeah, but.”
Erislandy Lara? Highly debatable decision. Austin Trout? Moderately debatable decision. Amir Khan? Way too small. Shane Mosley? Way too old. James Kirkland? Way too limited.
So we’re left with a counterintuitive but very real scenario for September 13.
Crawford, the smaller man and the underdog, can defeat Alvarez and possibly have it not go down as his greatest win because the Spence evisceration was so perfect.
And Alvarez, the bigger man and the favorite, has an outside chance at doing something in the ring at Allegiant Stadium that ends up looked back on as his victory that stands out above all his others — because the competition for that honor is all so flawed.
On September 13, History Won’t Just Be Written,It Will Be Fought For: Terence Crawford vs. Canelo Álvarez
Terence Crawford: On September 13, the boxing world will witness a night destined to echo through the ages. Two of the sport’s most dominant forces, Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez and Terence “Bud” Crawford, will step into the ring under the lights of Las Vegas, not just to defend belts or reputations, but to carve their names into the deepest chapters of boxing history.
This isn’t just another championship fight—it’s a collision of eras, styles, and legacies. It’s a night where history won’t be written on paper, but fought with fists, grit, and heart.
A Clash of Pound-for-Pound Legends
For years, debates have raged in barbershops, gyms, and sports studios: Who is truly the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world? On September 13, fans may finally get their answer.
Canelo Álvarez enters as the undisputed super middleweight champion, holding the WBC, WBA, WBO, and IBF belts. Known as Mexico’s greatest active warrior, Canelo has faced and conquered names like Gennady Golovkin, Miguel Cotto, and Sergey Kovalev. His blend of brutal power, slick defense, and relentless body shots make him one of the sport’s deadliest technicians.
Terence Crawford, on the other hand, is the definition of “unbeaten excellence.” Hailing from Omaha, Nebraska, Crawford carries a pristine record, dismantling every opponent put in front of him. After dominating at lightweight and junior welterweight, he cemented his legend by becoming undisputed welterweight champion, with his masterful destruction of Errol Spence Jr. proving he is a generational talent.
Now, the two collide at 168 pounds, in what many already call the biggest fight in modern boxing history.
The Stage: Las Vegas, Netflix, and Mexico’s Pride
The fight will unfold at the Allegiant Stadium, home of the Las Vegas Raiders—a modern coliseum built for nights like this. For the first time, a fight of this magnitude will stream on Netflix, ensuring millions worldwide can tune in live to watch history unfold.
Canelo will also have timing on his side. Fighting on the eve of Mexico’s Independence Day, he will carry the roar of an entire nation in his corner. As tradition dictates, when Canelo fights in September, it becomes more than a sporting event—it becomes a patriotic spectacle.
The War of Words
Critics have questioned whether Canelo remains the absolute king of his division, pointing out past struggles against slicker fighters. But the Mexican champion has dismissed all doubts with fire in his voice:
“I don’t give a damn. I know I’m the best. To have a great fight, it takes two fighters—and September 13, you’ll see.”
Crawford, calm but lethal in tone, has made his intentions clear: he isn’t coming just to fight—he’s coming to conquer. For him, moving up to face Canelo isn’t a gamble; it’s destiny.
More Than Belts: The Tlaxcala II Commemorative Belt
Adding to the drama, the Tlaxcala II Commemorative Belt will also be on the line. Handcrafted by Mexican artisans, it was unveiled by WBC President Mauricio Sulaimán as a cultural gift to the sport. While gold and glory will dominate the headlines, this belt represents something deeper—Mexico’s pride, artistry, and unshakable connection to boxing.
Why This Fight Is Different
Boxing has seen many superfights—Ali vs. Frazier, Leonard vs. Hearns, Mayweather vs. Pacquiao. But Canelo vs. Crawford feels different.
It’s not just champion vs. champion. It’s the most successful fighter of this era versus the most dangerous technician alive today. It’s a battle of power against precision, of size against skill, of one legend trying to defend his throne while another seeks to snatch it in a blaze of glory.
What’s at Stake
For Canelo, victory would silence critics and cement him as the undisputed face of modern boxing. For Crawford, a win would be seismic—moving up two divisions to topple Mexico’s greatest champion would etch his name alongside the immortals.
Defeat, for either man, would not just be a loss—it would be a wound to their legacy.
The Final Bell
On September 13, when the arena darkens and the lights shine on two warriors walking toward destiny, the world will know: this is more than a fight—it is a defining moment for boxing.
As gloves are touched and the first bell rings, history won’t just be recorded in the pages of a book—it will be written with blood, sweat, and courage inside the squared circle.
Canelo vs. Crawford isn’t a fight to watch. It’s a fight to remember.
