Canelo Alvarez looked prepared and confident during a press conference in Riyadh, saying Teukska Crawford that “no” would win the fight on September 13 in Las Vegas.
Interestingly, the challenging Crawford seemed to send a message to Turka Alalshikh, not to mention his name, saying: “I won’t let anyone tell me how to fight.” In other words, if Crawford decides to apply movement, just like his trainer Brian “Bomac” McIntyre mentioned that he would do it. I was afraid of that. Pay attention to the approach to Crawford?
Alvarez confident, crawford defiant
What else can you expect from an aging warrior who jumps two weight classes to challenge Canelo in 168? Turki will be furious if Crawford turns the fight into Tom and Jerry, but it will be too overdue until then. Why did Crawford choose Turki in the world?
The way in which the unquestionable master of the super medium medium weight Alvarez (63-2-2, 39 KO) spoke, it can be said that he overcomes lively daylights from Crawford (41-0, 31 KO), if he comes to the fight and did not escape.
Unlikely
Turki mentioned that in this fight there will be a “bonus” for KO. Of course, this is not something that Crawford will apply because he did not show any power in his recent movement from 147 to 154 in the fight against “Little GGG” Israil Madrimov in August last year. He became bigger, but his power did not rise.
Canelo Alvarez: “It was a fraud for me. I came to fight, but you need two fighters,” said Canelo Alvarez in today’s Start press conference Asked about his thoughts about his last fight with William Scull.
“This fight is great, and for me creating history is my goal. I am very excited about this fight. He is a great warrior, but it is not canelo. I have experience. They focus only on my power, but I have more.
Boxing history Canelo eyes
“I think that this fight will be one of my best. It’s about what I want to create a story. He doesn’t intend to beat me. Don’t worry about it. I think this fight will be in historical books. I know that Turki is in your corner, but it will be complex.
“You’re not different. I don’t have [Crawford won’t run]. The best warrior wins. I expect to do a great fight. I’m just going to do my job. I am the winner. I always think about winning.
Terenca Crawford: “Certainly these belts come back home with me. I will bring more jewelry home. Terenka Crawford will be the first tri -tin -target unquestioned champion. I am a risk and I’m not afraid.
“Every warrior can be knocked out. Canelo has a granite chin. He has been wounded several times, but taking into account the right circumstances, everyone can be knocked out. I always intend to get to a great occasion. This is my moment and I do not let Canelo take him from me.
I thought my fight was a clear victory. I think that this was not what fans expected from me. I am cold with my performance and victory – said Crawford about his controversial win on Israil Madrimov in August last year.
“Regardless of the fact that I will fight and win. I will not let anyone tell you how to fight when I fight all my life. I will not run, I will tell you it. I will be a lot touching.
“I called Canelo because he is the last great warrior of the era, who exceeds us, Floyds, de la Hoyas and Pacquiao. He had the opportunity to fight Miguel Cotto, GGG. I couldn’t take this mega fight. So it’s my moment. I will never say that a man can me,” said Crawford.
“I believe he is one of the goats in boxing. It would be an honor to share the ring with him and if I get the chance, I will definitely win,” Hamzah said after his victory over Begic.
Sheeraz made this comment after saying he plans to win more super middleweight titles after moving up from 160 pounds.
“I’ll fight anyone. Look, there were boxing kings in the ring tonight and I’m trying to follow in their footsteps. So I’m just going to beat whoever I put in front of me.”
“So I’m going to take all the belts this time and inshallah, next year you will be able to see Hamzah Sheeraz as the unified champion in the 168 division,” Hamzah said.
The path to a Sheeraz-Canelo fight could open quickly if Alvarez defeats Christian Mbilli on September 12 in Riyad. Canelo’s victory will likely allow him to retain the WBC title again, while Sheeraz now holds the WBO belt after Saturday’s victory.
This would give Riyadh Season a ready-made unification fight between the two marquee names at 168 pounds.
Sheeraz’s team already seems interested in forcing the fight. Manager Spencer Brown pointed openly at Canelo after the fight when discussing the newly crowned champion’s next step.
“We are marching in the face of Canelo boxing,” Brown said.
“This is the fight we want.”
Maybe it’s finally time for Sheeraz. He has picked up back-to-back stoppage wins since moving up to super middleweight, and his size and offensive style appear to be better at 168 pounds than they were at the end of his middleweight career.
Canelo is still the bigger star by a mile, but Riyad has shown he’s willing to take on younger, undefeated fighters against established fighters if enough belts are on the line. Sheeraz seemed to be part of that conversation on Saturday night.
Robert Segal is a boxing reporter at Boxing News 24 with over a decade of experience covering fight news, previews and analysis. Known for his first-hand reporting and in-ring perspective, he delivers authoritative coverage of champions, challengers and emerging talent from around the world.
However, for a long time it seemed that this would not be an effective defense, and the final came in the 11th round when referee Mark Lyson stopped the fight, which many viewers prematurely believed.
Verhoeven performed well above expectations, causing Usyk numerous problems throughout the fight, but although he recovered from the knockdown, the kickboxing star was stopped on his feet and denied the chance to advance to the 12th round.
Tony Bellew believes Verhoeven should be given a chance to continue his career, but Mexican superstar Canelo does not share the same view.
“It was a good fight, I don’t think so [that it was was an early stoppage]I think they saved a brutal knockout.”
Usyk is expected to take some time before deciding on his next move, with some fans calling for an immediate rematch with Verhoeven while others want him to face mandatory WBC title challenger Agit Kabayel now.
As for Canelo, he will return to action in September and will look to reclaim his world titles when he fights WBC super middleweight champion Christian Mbilli in Riyad, Saudi Arabia.
a biopic chronicling the career of former featherweight champion Prince Naseem Hamed will be released in select U.S. theaters and on VOD on May 22. The film stars Amir El-Masry as Hamed and Pierce Brosnan as his longtime trainer Brendan Ingle, with Sylvester Stallone among the executive producers.
Directed and written by Rowan Athale, it premiered at the BFI London Film Festival in October 2025 and was released in the UK and Ireland on January 9, 2026, before arriving in the Middle East via the Red Sea Film Festival. Vertical holds U.S. distribution rights, and the film was financed by AGC Studios and BondIt Media Capital.
What the movie covers
The plot follows Hamed’s rise from Sheffield, England, to a world title under Ingle, an Irish-born steelworker who ran a boxing gym in a church hall. According to the official description, the film also addresses the racism and Islamophobia that Hamed faced in the UK in the 1980s and 1990s, and also focuses on his relationship with Ingle, who died in 2018.
Collider published an exclusive clip from the film on May 21 featuring Hamed’s 1994 fight against Vincenzo Belcastro. In this fight, Hamed won the European bantamweight title in 12 rounds, which was only his 12th professional contest, which was the beginning of his later career.
The warrior behind the film
Hamed, a southpaw of Yemeni heritage, finished his professional career with a 36-1 record and 31 knockouts while holding featherweight titles in multiple sanctioning bodies throughout the 1990s. Now 51, he was known for his unconventional style, pre-fight showmanship and ring walks that often ended with a fall over the top rope. In 2015, he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
Following Ingle’s death, Hamed directly attributed his success to his coach Ring that without him he wouldn’t have achieved what he did in sports.
The supporting cast included Toby Stephens as promoter Frank Warren and Katherine Dow Blyton as Alma Ingle. The film lasts 110 minutes.
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.