Canelo vs Crawford: Two Legends, Two Weight Classes Apart — A Historic Clash or Just a Costly Fantasy?
📍 Undisputed super middleweight world champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Terence Crawford are set to clash on September 12 at Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas and live on DAZN.
🔥 Crawford Climbs Two Weight Divisions to Face Canelo
Terence “Bud” Crawford (41-0-0, 31 KOs) unified all the belts at welterweight after his dominant victory over Errol Spence Jr, becoming the undisputed champion in a second weight class.
Following a year-long break, Crawford moved up to super welterweight and faced Israil Madrimov. In my opinion, despite what the record says, Crawford actually lost that fight. We saw a very different Crawford after just one jump in weight.
Now, 37-year-old Crawford is set to jump two weight classes to take on Canelo at super middleweight. Crawford is incredibly skilled and a very special fighter. But throughout his career, he never quite received the recognition or the money he truly deserved.
The most notable opponent Crawford ever faced was Errol Spence Jr — who had survived serious car crashes and struggled with alcohol addiction prior to their bout.
Some Crawford fans even compare him to Sugar Ray Leonard, but honestly, there’s no real similarity. Sugar Ray never played it safe in the corner waiting for big-money fights — unlike Crawford.
🏆 Canelo Alvarez: A Champion Under Scrutiny
Meanwhile, Canelo Alvarez (63-2-2, 39 KOs), the undisputed champion at super middleweight, has been heavily criticized for facing low-caliber opponents in recent years.
His third fight against an aging Golovkin, followed by bouts with John Ryder, Jaime Munguia, and Edgar Berlanga, left fans disappointed. These weren’t the matchups people wanted to see.
Now at 35 years old, Canelo recently fought William Scull to reclaim the IBF belt he had lost. If Scull had been more aggressive, it could’ve been a nightmare for Canelo. But the inexperienced Scull chose to fight too cautiously.
Signs of aging and wear on Canelo became very clear during that bout. He no longer throws fast, high-volume combinations. Instead, he opts for fewer but harder punches. Fighting like this could be disastrous against elite-level opponents.
So, to summarize both fighters’ recent careers: we have two highly skilled but far past their prime boxers squaring off. And yet, the fight is being promoted as “the fight of the century”.
💰 Big Promotion, Bigger Questions
The Saudis are reportedly spending millions of dollars to promote this event. It’s being marketed as a massive blockbuster, expected to shatter ticket sales. Some even say it could rival the Mayweather vs Pacquiao mega fight in revenue.
That legendary bout had years of build-up and sold a record-breaking 4.4 million PPVs — still the highest of all time. In contrast, if Canelo vs Crawford sells just 1 million PPVs, it would already be considered a major success.
Richard Schaefer believes Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford can surpass 2015's 'Fight of the Century' between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao 👀
— Ring Magazine (@ringmagazine) May 23, 2025
Do you agree? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/ZtYxicNEXQ
Both are talented and experienced, yes. But stylistically, their fighting isn’t particularly appealing — especially to American audiences.
I believe this will end in a draw and be an incredibly boring fight. I won’t be paying for PPV. I’ll just watch the replay on YouTube the next day.
Honestly, all this money spent on fantasy matchups like this would be much better invested in young, hungry, and talented fighters rising through the ranks. That would be far more beneficial for the sport of boxing as a whole.
