Canelo Alvarez is rumored to fight junior middleweight Terence Crawford in May 2025.
This fight has not been confirmed, and Canelo would have been criticized for taking it. Crawford, two divisions down at 154, has no experience at 168 and is coming off a narrow 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-pound titles, and he needs a notable fighter that fans want to watch to continue bringing in the PPV buys he’s been doing in the past during his best years.
Turki Al Shiek is reportedly interested in a fight between Canelo and WBA 154-pound champion Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs). Canelo reportedly asked for $150 million for Crawford, which may be more than Turki would be willing to pay, considering Terence has never proven a PPV draw.
It’s a matchup that would catch fire with die-hard boxing fans, who have heard of the 37-year-old Crawford, but perhaps not the general public as he has been involved in just one high-profile fight in his 16-year professional career against Errol Spence in 2023.
Crawford’s PPV history
- Errol Spence: 700,000 purchases
- Sean Porter: 135,000
- Amir Khan: 150,000
- Viktor Postol: 50,000
The top 168-pound contenders are even less familiar to casual boxing fans than Crawford. Some of them would be a risk for 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 in who he takes sip for his matches.
The top 168 lb. competitors
Christian Mbilli
Osley Iglesias
Diego Pacheco
William Scull
Canelo didn’t want to fight David Benavides or David Morrell when they were campaigning at 168. They would have been better off using the small, old and unqualified Terence Crawford as an opponent. However, Canelo would have a far greater risk in a fight against Benavides or Morel than Crawford.
“Back in the ring! Everything points to Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez’s first fight in May or June 2025. Although his opponent has not yet been confirmed, people expect him to face Terence Crawford,” reports Televisa Puebla on Ks.