The highly-anticipated contest between top pound-for-pound fighters Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford has been confirmed to occur later this year on September 12 as revealed following Alvarez’ win over William Scull on May 3rd. The card will be held at the Allegiant Stadium, home to NFL sports team the Las Vegas Raiders, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
With Canelo Alvarez (63-2-2, 39 KO’s) now in grip of all four super middleweight (168 lbs) titles again following his victory over former IBF champion William Scull (23-1, 9 KO’s), the Mexican undisputed champion’s path will now cross with Terence Crawford (41-0, 31 KO’s), a pound-for-pound fighter and a prolific multi-division champion.
Despite the pedigree of both fighters, unrelenting questions surround the decision by Crawford to move up two divisions from super welterweight (154 lbs) to 168 pounds; questions that should make for an intriguing build-up as the two head into their September 12th fight.
Canelo Alvarez has had previous experience fighting a 154-pounder moving up two divisions in Jermell Charlo who went up to 168 lbs to face Alvarez in 2023, though his performance would be widely criticized due to a lack of motivation to win or fight.
In particular, it had been Charlo’s move up two weight classes that had been scrutinized, yet Crawford is widely considered a fighter of a different nature that can potentially overcome the discrepancy and complete inexperience of fighting at super middleweight as he is set to make his debut in the 168-pound category.
From debuting as a super lightweight (140 lbs) where he would eventually becoming undisputed, fighting at lightweight (135 lbs) to just making his 154-pound debut last year, Terence Crawford has proven able to adapt to different weights but is facing a monumental challenge at the age of 37 as he is forced to jump up two weight classes.
Crawford’s problems are further compounded by the manner in which his last match against then-WBA 154 lbs champion Israil Madrimov (10-2-1, 7 KO’s) occurred, beating the Uzbek fighter in a close fight where Madrimov was visibly the bigger and younger fighter.
Alvarez, 34, has campaigned at 168 lbs for roughly seven years after first beating WBA super middleweight champion Rocky Fielding in 2018 to start on the path of becoming undisputed. But while Canelo Alvarez has campaigned at higher weight classes for most of his career, he debuted in the same weight class as Crawford; super lightweight.
In a sport where weight classes do ultimately matter, Canelo Alvarez has benefitted greatly from a stocky build that has allowed him to fight seamlessly in higher weight categories despite his 140-pound beginnings. Having had nearly a decade to adjust to the higher weights of 160 lbs and 168 lbs, Alvarez’ current position as a super middleweight was a gradual process spawned from his long-standing career competed at 147 lbs and 154 lbs.
In comparison, Crawford only fought once at 154 lbs where he made his debut last year, while the majority of his career was spent at 140 pounds.
Weight rules tip largely in Alvarez’ favor as a result, yet Crawford’s ability as a fighter, exemplified by him being able to fight both orthodox and southpaw, poses a genuine threat to Alvarez’ second reign as undisputed champion.
With there being multiple angles to observe the upcoming September 12 fight, the bout that is set to occur might become one of the best in years as two fighters of elite ability and prominent standing meet each other in a high-stakes match for both.
