Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, the undisputed face of Mexican boxing, will have a battle for the ages when he faces the undefeated American phenom Terence “Bud” Crawford on Saturday, September 13th.
“Canelo” (62-2-2, 39 KOs) will no doubt have one of his biggest challenges when he steps in the ring to go to war against Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs), live from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Ranked #5 on ESPN’s pound-for-pound list, Alvarez defeated William Scull by unanimous decision on May 3, reclaiming the undisputed super middleweight title.
Crawford, born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska, is ranked No. 2 pound-for-pound by ESPN, and has carved his own legacy as a two-division undisputed champion – a feat never before accomplished by a male boxer in the four-belt era.
Ali’s grandson raises doubts about Crawford’s reflexes
A recent video has sparked a debate about Terence Crawford‘s reflexes and his ability to go at it with the Mexican champion Alvarez. In the images we see the Nebraska native having a friendly ‘slap-boxing’ session with Nico Ali Walsh, grandson of the legendary American boxer Muhammad Ali.
Crawford taps Walsh on the shoulder and exclaims, “Got you, that’s one.” But Walsh fires back and states: “Shut up. You’re going to five.” A back-and-forth ensues, with Walsh appearing to land a touch on Crawford’s body. In a fast move, Crawford lands another playful tap and runs off laughing.
But some fans didn’t think that Terence looked like a top competitor, even if it was a friendly demonstration. “Keep playing those little games. I know Canelo training hard. Hope Crawford don’t make excuses when he losses,” an Instagram user wrote. “Bud getting knocked out, calling it now,” another person stated.
A fight years in the making
Terence Crawford has dominated every division he’s entered, from lightweight to junior welterweight to welterweight, and now junior middleweight, where he most recently defeated Israil Madrimov to capture the WBA and WBO titles. His landmark ninth-round TKO over Errol Spence Jr. in 2023 cemented his place in boxing history.
Now, Crawford jumps to 168 pounds to face Canelo Alvarez – a fight fans have dreamed about for years. “My perfect record speaks for itself,” says Crawford. I am the best fighter in the world and no matter the opponent or weight class, I have always come out on top.”
With 66 fights behind him, Canelo takes on one of the sport’s most technically gifted opponents in what promises to be a battle of elite minds and bodies. “I’m super happy to be making history again and this time it will be broadcast on Netflix,” Alvarez told the streaming company. “On Sept. 13, I’m ready to show once again that I am the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.”
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