Canelo Alvarez is rumored to fight junior middleweight Terence Crawford in May 2025.
This fight has not been confirmed, and Canelo would be criticized for taking it. Crawford, two divisions down at 154, has zero experience at 168 and is coming off a close 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 168 lb titles, and he needs a notable fighter that fans are interested in watching for him to continue to bring the PPV. purchases he had made in the past during his best years.
Turki Al-Shiekh was interested in a fight between Canelo and the WBA 154-lb champion Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs). Canelo had asked for $150 million for Crawford, which might be more than Turki would be willing to pay, considering Terence never proved he was a PPV hit.
It’s a match-up that should catch fire with hardcore boxing fans, who have heard of the 37-year-old Crawford, but perhaps not to casuals because he’s only been involved in one high-profile fight in his professional career of 16 years. against Errol Spence in 2023.
Crawford’s PPV story
- 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 known to casual boxing fans than Crawford. Some of them pose a risk to 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 about his choose for their parties.
Top contenders at 168 lbs
Christian Mbilli
Osley Iglesias
Diego Pacheco
William Scull
Canelo did not want to fight David Benavidez or David Morrell when they lived at 168. They would have preferred to use a small, old and unqualified Terence Crawford as an opponent. However, Canelo would have much more risk in the Benavidez or Morrell fight than Crawford.
“Back in the ring! Everything points to the first fight of Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez in May or June 2025. Although his opponent has not been confirmed, people expect him to face Terence Crawford”, reports Televisa Puebla in X.
