Canelo vs Crawford: Undisputed Fight for Era Supremacy
Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford will collide in a historic showdown for the undisputed crown to determine generational legacy.
It’s a battle between two four-division World Champions for the right to be named their era’s number one.
In what has been billed as ‘The Fight of the Century’, Canelo will put all of his super-middleweight titles on the line against the undefeated Crawford.
‘Bud’ began his career at lightweight, winning a world title there before rallying through the divisions to become a four-weight ruler.
On that successful title charge from lightweight to light-middleweight, the Omaha-native also made history by becoming the first male fighter to capture the undisputed crown in two divisions during the ‘four-belt era’.
Now, he makes another climb up two further weight classes to challenge Canelo for all the gold at 168 pounds, in a bid to add a historic third undisputed division reign.
It’s a mammoth task at hand for the American, though, in what is anticipated to be one of the most-viewed fights of all time, being promoted by Turki Alalshikh and Riyadh Season alongside UFC president Dana White and Sela.
Neither man is a stranger to huge spectacles, but Canelo has undoubtedly made his mark as the sport’s leading mega-star since the departure of Floyd Mayweather Jr on the competitive scene.
The Mexican is the first and only undisputed super-middleweight champion in history, having stamped his dominance on the division since 2020, with victories over the likes of Callum Smith, Caleb Plant, Gennadiy Golovkin and Jermell Charlo.
Canelo also took two brief light-heavyweight detours during his pathway to 168-pound authority; one smooth route to the world title via a Sergey Kovalev knockout, and one impassable road to defeat against Dmitry Bivol.
The now 35-year-old is yet to stop an opponent since before that second career loss to Bivol (a 2021 TKO win over Plant), with six consecutive unanimous decision triumphs during this second super-middleweight reign.
That included points wins over an aged and since retired ‘GGG’, a smaller, weight-jumping Charlo, and, most recently, an unthreatening William Scull.
This has subsequently raised questions over Canelo’s current finishing abilities or killer instinct at the latter stages of his illustrious career, which started at just 15 years old back in 2005.
Meanwhile, Crawford previously enjoyed a savage welterweight reign by stopping all eight of his rivals there, including Errol Spence Jr in their long-awaited undisputed showdown.
A decision victory over Israil Madrimov followed on his move up to light-middleweight, and now Canelo awaits him on a further 24-pound weight climb, at a 65,000-capacity Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Legacy on the Line
The key talking point heading into this clash of modern-day greats has been the natural size difference and whether Crawford can handle it in his ambitious pursuit of greatness.
But that will only become a factor if Canelo uses his apparent size advantage tactically and aggressively up close, which he hasn’t in recent performances, opting rather to walk down opponents with pressure than utilising force on the inside.
‘Bud’ may be the one coming up in weight, but the strength he possesses, along with a well-documented wrestling background, could prove pivotal to how proceedings play out in close quarters (depending on the referee’s willingness to let the fight flow too).
Regardless of size, this is a genuine super-fight involving two of boxing’s best pound-for-pound and most influential fighters today, who are both destined for future Hall of Fame honours.
Two modern-day greats. One legacy on the line. A colossal fight for the ages. LFG!
When is Canelo vs Crawford?
This 12-round undisputed super-middleweight title fight will take place on Saturday, September 13th.
Where is Canelo vs Crawford taking place?
Canelo vs Crawford will be held at the 65,000-capacity Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, which is home to NFL side Las Vegas Raiders.
What time does Canelo vs Crawford start?
The undercard is expected to begin from 8:00 pm ET / 5:00 pm PT / 1:00 am BST, with the main event ring walks scheduled for approximately 11:30 pm ET / 8:30 pm PT / 4:30 am BST (Sunday).
Canelo vs Crawford live stream
This whole fight card will be streamed live on Netflix.
Canelo vs Crawford PPV Price
Fans can sign up for Netflix for £4.99 per month with adverts ($6.99 US) or £7.99 ($15.49) per month without.
Existing Netflix subscribers will have access to the event at no extra cost.
Canelo vs Crawford Undercard
Christian Mbilli vs Lester Martinez
Serhii Bohachuk vs Brandon Adams
Callum Walsh vs Fernando Vargas
Ivan Dychko vs Jermaine Franklin Jr
Steven Nelson vs Raiko Santana
Reito Tsutsumi vs Javier Martinez
Marco Verde Alvarez vs Marcos Osorio-Betancourt
Sultan Almohamed vs Martin Caraballo
Header image: The Ring