Terence Crawford and Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez will meet in the ring next September. The two champions will face off in Las Vegas for what's shaping up to be the biggest boxing event of 2025.
Crawford's path to this super-middleweight showdown wasn't always clear. Just last July, before his big win against Errol Spence Jr, Crawford brushed off the idea of fighting Canelo.
"What, 168? I ain't going up there."
But things changed after Crawford became the undisputed welterweight champion. He started talking about moving up to challenge Canelo. Now, he's all in.
Bill Haney, father and trainer to Devin Haney, might have planted the seed for this fight. He told Crawford:
"Forget Spence, go fight Canelo... That's your fight. Spence ain't your fight. Canelo's your fight. That's the one you need to go after."
Crawford's reasons for taking on this challenge are clear. He explained:
"I want to challenge myself. Canelo's a great fighter. He's an all-time great, one of the best that came out of Mexico. I'm one of the all-time greats, I feel. Why not? Why not put it to the test? History. What do they say, big chances, big rewards. I'm looking for that big reward."
Canelo wasn't always open to this fight. He thought Crawford was too small. But now, he's agreed to step into the ring with the American in September 2025.
Before that, Canelo will face William Scull in May 2025. A win there could make him undisputed champion once again.
Crawford's last fight was at super-welterweight, where he beat Errol Spence Jr to become undisputed welterweight champion. For the Canelo fight, he'll jump up two weight classes. It's a big leap, but Crawford seems ready for the challenge.
