Canelo vs Crawford back on as part of four fight deal

LAS VEGAS: In a last minute shock development, the bout between Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Terrence Crawford is back on. Canelo reportedly closed a four fight deal with Turki Alalshikh and Riyadh Season on Friday.

ESPN boxing insider Mike Coppinger reported on X that the first bout of the four fight deal will take place on May 4 in Riyadh. Possible opponents include Jermall Charlo and Bruno Surace. The second bout of the deal will be the blockbuster fight between Canelo and Crawford, and will take place in Las Vegas on September 13. The third fight is reportedly being scheduled for February 2026. The names being considered for this bout include Dmitry Bivol, Hamzah Sheeraz, and Chris Eubank Jr. The fourth and final fight is being scheduled for October 2026.

Earlier, media reports indicated that Canelo and Jake Paul were finalising a deal for a cruiserweight fight for May 3, and that the rumoured bout against Crawford was canceled due to this reason. However, as news of the four fight deal emerged, Turki Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, told ESPN that “Canelo fight only real fighters.”

Possible Fights

Crawford last fought in August 2024, when he faced Israeil Madrimov, a boxer who at the time only had 11 fights to his name. He had won 10 of those fights, with the remaining being a draw. Crawford handed Madrimov his first loss, but it was a competitive bout, leading many to question whether Crawford’s power and ability would translate to the higher weightlessness. Nonetheless, Crawford won the WBA light-middleweight title, marking the fourth weight class in which he was a champion.

Jermall Charlo is rumoured as a potential opponent for the first fight of Canelo’s deal. Canelo has previously foiught Jermall’s twin brother, Jermell, who he beat via unanimous decision in September of 2023. Jermall’s last fight saw him beat Jose Benanvidez Jr in November 2023. It marked his first fight in two years. However, it has already been over a year since then.

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Another possible opponent for that fight is Bruno Surace, a 26 year old fighter who last beat Jaime Munguia, who Canelo also fought last year. It was an incredible performance from Surace who pulled off the upset, despite facing adversity in the early rounds as he was knocked down in the second. In the sixth round, after being pressured onto the ropes, Surace landed a vicious straight right that laid out Mungiuia on the canvas.

In regards to the third bout, a rematch with Dmitry Bivol is a possibility. Canelo and Bivol first clashed in May 2022, when the latter won via unanimous decision. Bivol’s most recent bout saw him lose against Artur Beterbiev via majority decision, in about for all the belts at light-heavyweight. A rematch would give Canelo the opportunity to avenge one of his two losses.

Another name being floated is Chris Eubank Jr. Eubank last fought in October of 2024, defeating Kamil Szeremeta for the vacant IBO middleweight title. He also recently had a pair of bouts against Liam Smith, the first of which he lost in January 2023 via TKO in the fourth. He avenged that loss in September 2023, returning the favour with TKO victory. Eubank has 34 wins and three losses to his name.

A third possible opponent for the third bout of the deal is Hamzah Sheeraz, a 25 year old British-Pakistani boxer who has 21 wins to his name, 17 of those coming by way of knockout. He is currently the WBC Silver, Commonwealth, and European, middleweight champion.

Canelo fought twice last year, against Jaimie Mungia and Edgar Berlanga, handing both boxers their first ever loss. However, neither boxer was considered to be a threat for the 34 year old Mexican. This new four fight deal offers Canelo some tougher competition in Crawford and a possible rematch with Bivol. But, it is unclear how well Crawford will do at 168 pounds considering his struggles against Madrmov at 154 pounds. And, it is uncertain whether a rematch with Bivol will come to fruition.

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Jake Paul and possible Crawford bout

While a Jake Paul fight may not be next for Canelo, it doesn’t mean its off the table completely. Paul’s last bout against Mike Tyson in November 2024 was streamed live on Netflix to a peak audience of 64 million, showcasing the reach of the youtuber turned boxer.

Media reports have also stated that Turk Alalshikh has his sights on a bout between Crawford and IBF welterweight champion Jaron “Boots” Ennis. Boots has 33 wins to his name, 29 of which came by way of knockout. He has no losses and one no contest. His next bout will see him attempt to grab another world title when he fights Eimantas Stanionis, the WBA welterweight champion, on April 12.