Canelo Alvarez has decided to fight Terence Crawford in a rematch in 2026 to take revenge for the defeat he suffered last September. This is a move that the Mexican star expected, as it is hard for him to continue his career after this defeat.
Close-quarters combat marketed as Crawford’s masterclass
Crawford (42-0, 31 KO) dethroned Canelo on September 13, 2025, defeating him by unanimous decision over 12 rounds on Netflix. The fight was expected to be a huge victory, but it turned out to be a typical cat-and-mouse game, with Crawford moving around the ring and sporadically landing punches on the slow-moving Canelo.
Canelo body work that was ignored
Many fans created a narrative painting Crawford as a hero, saying he whitewashed Canelo in a one-sided way. The image they created of the fight was a drama that never happened. It was a close fight with Canelo punching challenging to the body, Crawford very little and moving a lot. It was beyond tedious.
The undercard fights, even the ones that took place in the preliminary round, were more intriguing to watch. It’s not Canelo’s fault. He tried, but found himself face to face with a moving human.
“Canelo told @losprota he will seek a rematch with Terence Crawford in 2026,” he said Salvador Rodriguez ESPN Knockout on Canelo Alvarez looking to avenge his loss to Terence Crawford.
One of the biggest paydays for 35-year-old Canelo (63-3-2, 39 KO) is the match with Crawford. So it makes financial sense as long as Turki Alalshikh is involved in the financing. Aside from the David Benavidez fight, Crawford is the next best money fight if Turki plans to subsidize it.
If Turki wants to get more value for his money, he should try to encourage Canelo to fight Benavidez or Artur Beterbiev. These two would be the most intriguing for fans to watch. Calling up Jaron “Boots” Ennis would also be a great option as he would attack Canelo. He wouldn’t move like Crawford because that’s not Ennis’ style. This is an artist who would try to knock out Canelo.
It would be better if Turki insisted on bringing in modern blood to develop younger fighters, rather than throwing money at older fighters who only fight once a year. To revitalize the sport and provide fans with an invigorating fight, Turki should focus on selecting Canelo’s opponent from the list below:
- David Benavidez
- Osley Iglesias
- Diego Pacheco
- Jaron Ennis
- Lester Martinez
- Diego Pacheco
Crawford’s cat-and-mouse game doesn’t change
For Canelo to avenge his defeat, he will need to change his footwork to become more mobile. Crawford will certainly do the same thing he did last time, firing a few shots and then moving to stop the bullets. It wasn’t the action-packed fight that fans wrongly expected. They didn’t know Crawford’s fighting style because that was how he had always fought.
38-year-old Crawford has no intention of changing his fighting style. He won’t suddenly become adolescent. This will be the same Jerry style we saw last September and in his fight against Israil Madrimov.
Chris Williams is a senior writer for Boxing News 24covering sports since 2013 and reporting on major events around the world. His relationships range from established champions to hungry prospects vying for recognition. Over the years, Chris has worked with many of boxing’s top brass, earning respect for his insightful analysis and insider perspective.