Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez suffered the third defeat of his career this year, falling short to Terence Crawford in Las Vegas and surrendering his undisputed super middleweight title in the process.
The Mexican icon has previously lost to Floyd Mayweather and Dmitry Bivol, but was favoured to beat Crawford by many given the fact that the American was moving up in weight from his last contest at 154lbs to 168.
Many questions were asked in the aftermath about what the next move would be for both men. Other than a hint he will fight on, Crawford has remained relatively tight-lipped. He has teased a potential move to a sixth weight-class — middleweight — to pursue more belts.
Despite Canelo facing the idea that his prime is well behind him at 35 years old, retirement never really seemed an option, particularly given he has two fights remaining on a lucrative contract with Riyadh Season. Following elbow surgery in October, he is targeting a ring return in the second quarter of 2026. On a recent visit to TV Azteca, he confirmed that a second crack at Crawford is what he wants. The network also revealed that the undisputed champion — though whether he manages to hold on to all four belts ahead of a rematch or is stripped remains to be seen — is responsive to talks.
Though some fans will feel the return fight unnecessary, there’s no question that it is the biggest option for Canelo and probably the most lucrative for Crawford.
