Canelo Álvarez vs. Terence Crawford
Canelo Álvarez vs. Terence Crawford, billed as Once In A Lifetime and There Can Only Be One,[1] is an upcoming super middleweight professional boxing match contested between Mexican undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Álvarez and American former undisputed welterweight and light welterweight champion Terence Crawford for the undisputed super middleweight championship of the world.
It will be the first Zuffa Boxing event promoted by Dana White under TKO. The bout is scheduled to take place on September 13, 2025 at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. and will be streamed worldwide on Netflix. Additionally, Zuffa Boxing and Turki Al-Sheikh’s Ring Magazine will promote two undercard events for the fight on September 10 and September 11 at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas.
Background
In January 2025 it was reported that a bout between Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez and Terence Crawford had been agreed to be held in September 2025 in Las Vegas by Saudi promoter Turki Al-Sheikh.
However, on February 6, Ring Magazine reported that Al-Sheikh suspended the bout after reports stated Álvarez was in negotiations to face YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in May.[7] Hours later it was reported that Álvarez and Paul were close to finalizing a May 3 bout at the T-Mobile Arena.[8] Ultimately, Al-Sheikh announced that Álvarez had signed a 4-fight deal with Riyadh Season thus ending the negotiations with Paul and putting the Crawford bout back on track for September.[9]
On May 3, after Álvarez defeated William Scull to reclaim his IBF super middleweight title, Crawford entered the ring and the two had a face off. Al-Sheikh later announced that the bout would take place on September 12 in conjunction with Dana White’s new boxing league under TKO. On June 10, the bout was officially announced to take place on September 13 and will be broadcast on Netflix.[10] On June 17, the Allegiant Stadium was officially confirmed as the host venue. It was reported that a deal was done to re-arrange an NCAA College football game, which was scheduled for that day.[11] The fight is being promoted by Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing league, backed by WWE.[12]
In August, Zuffa Boxing’s sister company WWE and its Mexican subsidiary Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide announced the Worlds Collide wrestling event set to take place on September 12 in Las Vegas as a lead-in to the boxing match.[12] Prior to the Álvarez vs. Crawford fight, TKO will also promote UFC Fight Night: Lopes vs. Silva, the third edition of the UFC’s annual “Noche UFC” MMA event celebrating Mexican culture, on September 13.[13] Worlds Collide, UFC Fight Night: Lopes vs. Silva, and Canelo Álvarez vs. Terence Crawford are all being held as part of Mexican independence day weekend, a major weekend for Mexican combat sports.
On August 24, 2025, the WBA announced that Crawford would forfeit the light middleweight title at the start of the fight, with Abass Baraou being elevated to the position of full WBA champion, thereby maintaining the title’s active status in that division.[14][15]
In July 2025, Turki Al-Sheikh announced that the undercard for the Álvarez vs. Crawford fight would likely take place across “two or three days”.[16] This was later confirmed in September when Al-Sheikh and Zuffa Boxing announced the Álvarez vs. Crawford: Public Workout and The Underdog events for September 10 and 11, respectively.[17][18] Both events will be held at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas.
Fight buildup
Following the fight announcement, Álvarez and Crawford went on a three-city press tour to promote the fight.[19] The first stop was in Riyadh on June 20, followed by New York City on June 22 and Las Vegas on June 27.[20] At the kickoff presser in Riyadh, Turki Al-Sheikh, tired of what he calls “Tom & Jerry fights”, announced a knockout bonus that will be implemented in future fights he promotes, starting with Álvarez vs. Crawford.[21]
Titles, stakes, and records
In addition to the WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO world titles, The Ring created an exclusive belt which cost upwards of $188,000 dollars to make, and will be given to the winner. According to Rick Reeno of The Ring magazine, it is “the most expensive belt ever created.”[22] On September 2, 2025, the WBC officially presented the “Nahui Huey Altepemeh” commemorative belt, which will also be on the line in this fight.[23]
Considered two of the finest boxers of their era,[24] both fighters are ranked in the top ten of many pound-for-pound lists,[25] and this bout could determine who the next #1 pound-for-pound fighter is and the best boxer of this generation.[26][27]
Álvarez is a four-division champion and two-time undisputed super middleweight champion, and has held championships from light middleweight through light heavyweight.[28] He is the only boxer in history to hold the undisputed super middleweight title and remains unbeaten at super middleweight.[29] With a victory, he will add another future Hall of Famer to his already impressive resume.[30]
Crawford, a four-division champion himself, has held titles from lightweight through light middleweight and was the undisputed champion at light welterweight and welterweight.[28] With a victory, Crawford would make history as the first male boxer to become a three-division undisputed champion in the “four-belt era”.[31] He would also become the first boxer to hold The Ring magazine belt in four different weight classes, one of only six male fighters in history to capture titles in five divisions,[a][32] and one of just three to claim the lineal championship in four weight classes.[b][33]
Across a combined 765 rounds fought in their careers, neither fighter has ever been knocked down.[34][35]