EARLIER this week, news that Canelo Alvarez, 62-2-2 (39 KOs), had finally agreed to take on fellow pound-for-pound superstar Terence Crawford, 41-0 (31 KOs), in both a lucrative and unprecedented battle dominated the boxing media headlines.
However, it has now been revealed that talks for what was expected to be the event of the year have collapsed and that the proposed clash will no longer take place.
One of just three fighters to have become a four-belt undisputed champion in multiple divisions, Crawford has established himself as one of the fighters of the generation in recent years, a career-defining beatdown of Errol Spence Jr. cementing his place amongst the modern greats of the sport.
Yet, following that 2023 win, ‘Bud’ has been consistently threatening to further his legacy and jump up an astonishing three weight divisions in a bid to tackle the long-standing ‘face of boxing’, Canelo, and claim the Mexican’s unified super-middleweight marbles.
Last year, Crawford took one step closer to 168lbs as he moved up to super-welterweight and overcame Israil Madrimov in a nip-and-tuck scrap for the WBA title at 154lbs.
However, Canelo remained uninterested, famously demanding $150 million to take on the American for what he deemed to be a lose-lose situation for himself.
Nevertheless, it was reported on Monday that a deal for the super-fight had been agreed, with the salivating contest pencilled in to top a Las Vegas bill in September.
Now, just days after those initial reports, The Ring has revealed that Canelo-Crawford will no longer go ahead, with fans online suspicious that the U-turn could be down to recent rumours that Alvarez will face Jake Paul in May.
At present, it is still expected that the unified super-middleweight champion will appear twice this year, with current whispers suggesting that he will either collide with IBF champion William Scull, 23-0 (9 KOs) or accept a controversial showdown with Paul for his annual Cinco De Mayo outing.
Meanwhile, Crawford may look toward becoming the first fighter to become a three-weight undisputed champion in the four-belt era, which could be accomplished by dethroning WBC and WBO champion Sebastian Fundora, 23-1-1 (13 KOs) and IBF title-holder, Bakhram Murtazaliev, 23-0 (17 KOs).
