In the aftermath of Canelo Alvarez's one-sided twelve-round unanimous victory over Jermell Charlo which took place, on September 30th, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. After the fight was over Canelo made it clear to Terence 'Bud' Crawford that he is not considering him for his next fight, which will more than likely happen in the first week of May 2024.
In the post-fight press conference, Canelo sounded off about a possible fight with Crawford.
“I always say if the fight makes sense, why not? But [Crawford is] not in the plan,” Canelo at a post-fight press conference. "If it makes sense, maybe. I don’t know right now. I’m just going to enjoy this fight. Then you’re going to know what’s next for sure.”
That leaves many wondering what is next for Canelo. A fight with Terence Crawford would see two of the three stars of Showtime pay-per-view boxing in 2023 in action. The issue is the weight as Crawford last fought at a weight class that is twenty-one pounds smaller than Canelo. Given the way Canelo outmuscled Charlo some of the interest for this bout might be lost given the fact that we learned that weight classes matter. Yet, given the unique and generational skill set of Terence Crawford, some might wonder if he could do something impossible - and beat Canelo.
If Canelo doesn't fight Crawford next the best suitable option would be the winner of an alleged bout between David Benavidez and Demetrius Andrade. The winner of that belt would be the WBC interim champion, and the WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman has stated that a fight should be ordered in 2024, which would make Canelo have to fight his mandatory - the winner of that bout. One thing is for certain, Canelo feels better than ever.
“I think this is Canelo. I’m back," said Canelo. "Finally, I’m back. I feel confident right now. I feel great. I’m so happy because I didn’t feel like this for a long time. Now I’m back.”
While Canelo Alvarez did not outright decline a future fight with Crawford, it seems Crawford has to make the fight a bit more worthwhile. Canelo just fought a smaller man in Charlo and outclassed along by bullying him. It appears Canelo does not want to have to face the tough burden of criticism once again for fighting a smaller opponent unless Crawford does something special at a higher weight class. Anyone who knows Terence Crawford's career also knows that is very possible.
It is quite simple as Canelo seemingly does not see a substantial benefit in facing Crawford, both financially and in terms of legacy. Both the money and legacy would be weighted more toward Crawford and that is something that superstars in boxing like Canelo are not a fan of - given the opponent in a big fight all the opportunity while Canelo would take on all the risk.
Though Canelo is saying for now the fight is of no interest this feels like an ongoing storyline in the narrative arch of boxing that will unfold over the next two years of boxing. Whether it leads to a fight only time will tell.
