Terence Crawford has ended the confusion about his next fight. The boxer has confirmed he will face Canelo Alvarez in September at Riyadh Season.
Crawford's last fight was in August 2024 when he beat Israel Madrimov to win the WBA super-welterweight title. The victory marked Crawford's debut in the super-welterweight division. Crawford has already conquered four divisions and became the undisputed welterweight champion by beating Errol Spence Jr.
For a while, Crawford had been calling out Canelo Alvarez. Canelo didn't seem interested at first. He said he wouldn't get credit for beating a smaller opponent. But talks picked up steam this year. They initially agreed to fight in September in Las Vegas.
Then things got messy. The Ring magazine, owned by Turki Alalshikh who was organizing the fight, said the talks had fallen apart. They announced the fight was off the table. There was even talk of Canelo possibly fighting Jake Paul in May instead.
But Alalshikh surprised everyone. He announced a four-fight deal with Canelo Alvarez. He said, "Canelo in Riyadh in May. The biggest fight in the history of boxing in September. Then two more fights in 2026. Don't miss, with the lion."
Crawford then cleared the air. He stated, "I'm waiting on Canelo in September and going to shock the world in Riyadh Season!" Crawford doesn't plan to fight before the Canelo bout.
This news gives fans hope that the contract saga is over. They're now waiting to hear who Canelo will fight in May. As for Crawford, he'll need to prepare for a big weight gain to compete in a higher division.
"It'll shock the world," Crawford said about his upcoming fight with Canelo.
Crawford is aiming to become a five-division world champion by beating Canelo. It's a tall order, but Crawford seems confident he can pull it off.
