Back in December, Terence Crawford retired at the age of 38, calling time whilst on top of the sport as the pound-for-pound king and undefeated in his 42 career fights.
Crawford matched the achievements of Henry Armstrong in his final pro bout, beating Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez to become the first three-division undisputed champion of the four-belt era and the first of any kind since Armstrong achieved the same feat in 1938.
After that historic triumph, Crawford decided to hang up the gloves, uninterested in remaining at super-middleweight or dropping down to middleweight and attempting to become a six-division champion.
Despite the American being happy in retirement, Canelo has not quite given up hope of a rematch, telling Ring Magazine that he will be ready should his rival u-turn.
“I don’t know [if he will return], I am not in his shoes. I know [Turki Al-Alshikh wants to see it] and I hope that fight happens again. That is what I hope.
“I think, it will be amazing for fans too, right? For everybody, it is a big fight. I hope that fight happens again and I get my rematch.”
In the meantime, the Mexican superstar moves ahead with his career, saying:
“I am not going to wait for anybody. I have my plans already.”
Canelo faces Christian Mbilli on Saturday, September 12, in Saudi Arabia, hoping to overcome 12 months of inactivity, during which he had elbow surgery.
If, at 35, Alvarez manages to trump the new WBC champion and win back the belt, he has said he is interested in facing the other titleholders in the division, excluding Jaime Munguia, who he now trains alongside following their fight back in 2024.
