Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford are in negotiations for a rematch in 2026. Alvarez (63-3-2, 39 KOs) has requested the rematch after losing to Crawford (42-0, 31 KOs) in the billed ‘Fight of the Century earlier this year on September 13th in Las Vegas.
TV Azteca’s Report
TV Azteca reports that talks are underway between Canelo and Crawford for a second fight. Fans on social media are mostly in favor of a second fight, since neither fighter has any exciting options.
Crawford, 38, has already refused a fight against David Benavidez, and Canelo has never shown a desire to face him.
Canelo-Crawford are old, slowing, and not what they once were. Putting them in against the top 168-pounders would be a bad idea, and definitely not against the top 175-pounders. So, it’s a good option for them to run it back.
Hit-Move-Hold Blueprint
Crawford defeated Canelo by a 12-round unanimous decision on September 13, 2025, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. The only real action from Crawford was briefly in rounds 4, 9, and 12.
Other than those short instances, it was mostly Crawford moving, jabbing, and tying Canelo up in wrestling holds, not allowing him to break free. It was not exciting to watch. The scores were 115-113, 115-113, and 116-112.
For Alvarez to win the rematch, he’s going to need to make a lot of adjustments because Crawford will be using his same game plan of hit, move, and hold all night like last time. That style is difficult to beat, but very, very boring to watch for fans.
Turki’s Role Unclear
There’s no word yet whether Turki Alalshikh will finance the Canelo vs. Crawford. One could understand why he wouldn’t want to. The money that he paid the two fighters last September was enormous, and the value in terms of their performance was ultra-low, similar to the levels fans saw in the hyped Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao fight in 2015.
Financial Questions
Canelo was reportedly paid $150 million and Crawford $50 million for their fight. Whether they would insist on a bump up in pay or similar money from Turki for their rematch is unknown. Would they even be worth a fraction of that amount after their performances last September? The way they fought, they’re not fighting at the level of boxers deserving of mega-millions.
For Turki to get maximum value for his money, he needs to match Canelo and Crawford against a seek-and-destroy fighter like Benavidez. That would be far more interesting to watch for fans than a second helping of what they saw in the first Canelo-Crawford fight.
