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By: Sean Crose
In the first big news of 2025, it’s being reported by numerous outlets that super middleweight king Canelo Alvarez is close -very close – to facing former undisputed welterweight king Terence Crawford in September. What appeared to be an unserious pipe dream when first bandied about the internet has morphed into near reality in a matter of months, if not weeks. Although Canelo has spent much of his career above 150 pounds and Crawford has spent most of his under 150 pounds, it looks like both fighters are willing to make the necessary adjustments in order to square off in the ring.
What makes a potential Canelo-Crawford fight particularly poignant is the fact that each man’s Hall of Fame worthy career is likely winding down. Although by no means ancient by modern boxing standards, the 34 year old Canelo has literally been fighting professionally for nearly 20 years, earning an eyebrow raising record of 62-2-2. Some of those fights, especially his two controversial battles with Gennady Golovkin, have unquestionably led to some wear and tear. As for Crawford, at 37 years of age, he’s not getting any younger with a considerable 41 fights under his belt (suffice to say, the man has never lost in the ring).
Seen through a certain lens, a Canelo-Crawford match makes a considerable amount of sense, for it’s with wondering what mountains are left for each man to climb. Both know what it’s like to be an undisputed champion in an era when there are far too few undisputed champions to be found. Each fighter also knows what it’s like to fight under the bright lights. Canelo’s been in numerous legit superfights, against Golovkin and Floyd Mayweather respectively, while Crawford finally appeared in his first superfight back in 2023 when he crushed fellow welterweight titlist Errol Spence in nine rounds of one sided combat.
Should this fight be signed and made official, it’s understandable that Canelo, at least early on, will be the considerable favorite. He’s been fighting at super middleweight after all, while Crawford has just recently made the jump in weight up to junior middleweight. Surprisingly however, Crawford is the taller of the two, albeit slightly. He’s also known to adapt well to any situation. What’s more, he possesses extraordinary confidence. In other words, Crawford likely won’t see this as an underdog story, he’ll see it as a battle requiring seriousness, focus and an effective game plan. Crawford, ultimately, is a practical minded man.Then again, so is Canelo…and Canelo has the power to hurt.
Should Crawford pull off the upset – it would be an upset for the ages.
