Tale of the Tape: Canelo vs. Crawford
The biggest fight of the year, and perhaps one of the most hyped matches of the last decade, takes place Saturday when Canelo Álvarez squares off against Terence "Bud" Crawford for the undisputed super middleweight championship at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
If the Vegas spotlight wasn't enough for two of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, they'll also get a massive audience on Netflix during Mexican Independence Day weekend.
| Álvarez | Crawford | |
|---|---|---|
| Country | 🇲🇽 | 🇺🇸 |
| Age | 35 | 37 |
| Height | 5'7 1/2" | 5'8" |
| Reach | 70 1/2" | 74" |
| Record | 63-2-2 | 41-0 |
| KO | 39 | 31 |
This could be the toughest bout of each boxer's career. Canelo accepted the challenge from the undefeated Crawford, who is moving up two weight classes in an attempt to become the first undisputed champion in three divisions during the four-belt era.
"A win against Canelo Álvarez would put me on Mount Rushmore. I'd be one of the greatest fighters ever," Crawford said during an appearance on "Piers Morgan Uncensored."
Crawford's resume includes victories over Errol Spence Jr., Shawn Porter, and Israil Madrimov. However, none of their careers measure up to Álvarez's body of work. He's held multiple world championships in four weight classes and headlined some of the biggest cards of the last 10 years.
The payoff is obviously big for Crawford, but why is Canelo taking on such a stiff challenge as his career winds down after 67 professional fights?
A healthy paycheck from influential promoter Turki Alalshikh was certainly part of the equation, but Álvarez has also been criticized for taking easy fights since suffering his second career loss to Dmitry Bivol in 2022. And he hasn't been able to knock out his opponent in those fights either.
Canelo's fights since Bivol loss
| Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|
| May 3 2025 | William Scull | UD win |
| Sept. 14 2024 | Edgar Berlanga | UD win |
| May 4 2024 | Jaime Munguia | UD win |
| Sept. 30 2023 | Jermell Charlo | UD win |
| May 6 2023 | John Ryder | UD win |
| Sept. 17 2022 | Gennady Golovkin | UD win |
A win against Crawford, even with a significant weight advantage, would quiet Canelo's critics.
"I have no doubt about it. ... I'm going to win. I believe 100%," Canelo told Morgan after Crawford said he was only 70% sure he would be victorious.
Crawford isn't taking this fight for granted. In fact, the Omaha, Nebraska, native believes this bout could define his career.
"Everything is riding on this one moment," Crawford said. "This is it."