Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford Still In Play After All

Saul “Canelo” Alvarez has a fight this coming September 14 against massive underdog Edgar Berlanga. But if newly-crowned WBA/interim WBO junior middleweight champ Terence Crawford has his way, he’ll be the Mexican superstar’s next challenger.

If one had asked analysts and informed fans a few weeks ago, a Canelo-Crawford matchup would’ve been deemed a near impossibility. Crawford was coming off a less-than-stellar 154 lb. debut on August 3 against Israil Madrimov while Alvarez was engaged in a public beef with Crawford’s Saudi bank-roller/advisor/super fan Turki Alalshikh.

But that was a little over three weeks ago and things change. There’ve been some recent rumblings indicating that Canelo-Crawford is not as dead as many might assume.

Alvarez, himself, has gone back and opened the door, just a bit, to allow for the possibility of a Crawford fight, despite firmly stating his desire to focus solely on this upcoming Berlanga bout. Gone, apparently, is the somewhat unserious reported $150 million fight purse demand and, in its place, is a much more diplomatic, “I’m not saying that fight can’t happen…”

Complicating matters a bit is the recent order from the WBO for their full 154 lb. champ Sebastian Fundora to face interim champ Crawford. Although, on Crawford’s side, there seems to be no complication– he still wants Canelo and, according to reports, he ONLY wants Canelo in what he has referred to as his “motivation fight.”

“I don’t think Crawford will fight anyone except Canelo…This is what I feel,” Alalshikh recently told UK reporter Charlie Parsons. “We give him offer for (Vergil) Ortiz. I don’t know if he will take it or not.”

By all accounts, Crawford is NOT taking the Ortiz fight and may not be taking any fight other than one versus Alvarez.

Fundora’s promoter Sampson Lewkowicz is not counting on Crawford to even entertain the WBO-mandated bout with his fighter until after Crawford learns of Canelo’s future plans.

“I’m waiting on an offer now, and I’m certain one will not come until after the 14th,” Lewkowicz told Lance Pugmire of Boxingscene. “I’d like to find out right now if [Crawford’s] going to fight for the money or the titles. I believe he wants the money.

“[Crawford] will do everything he can to fight Canelo, and [his team] will not call me until after the [Berlanga] fight.”

In the past, Alvarez had balked at the idea of fighting Crawford, a former lightweight champion currently competing three full weight classes beneath Alvarez’s super middleweight division.

“I have nothing to gain and everything to lose,” Alvarez said back in February, when asked about a Crawford pairing. “If I beat him everyone will say he was too small.”

Alvarez had taken plenty of flak back in September of 2023 when he faced unified junior middleweight champ Jermell Charlo and easily walked through the challenge of the smaller fighter.

A second deep dive into that terrain would not be pleasant.

But pleasant be damned if there’s enough money in it. And, while there may not be $150 million in it for Canelo, the purse would likely be exceedingly generous to take on the Saudi-supported Riyadh Season Global Ambassador, Crawford.

That reality is keeping the soon-to-turn-37 Omaha, Nebraska native in self-imposed limbo until after Alvarez puts Berlanga away and addresses his future plans. Alvarez doesn’t have many big fight options available to him in the immediate future and has refused to entertain the idea of fighting David Benavidez. So, a Crawford fight– with the right amount of money attached to it– should begin to look more and more appealing.

“Saul is going to do whatever [he wants] to do,” promoter Eddie Hearn recently told K.O. Artist Sports. “I like the strategy that Saul has. ‘You pay me the money, and I’ll have the fight.’ It’s simple. No lies. That’s the truth. He’ll fight anyone, but he also has a price in mind…He loves to compete, he loves to make money, and he loves to fight.”