Canelo Alvarez facing Terence Crawford is back on the agenda after the intervention of Saudi Arabian Chairman Turki Alalshikh.
The Saudis first brought Canelo battling Crawford into the equation before Cinco de Mayo. The Mexican concluded his victory against Jaime Munguia, and just days after the event, Canelo vs Crawford is touted for December or January 2024.
As WBN reported earlier, Canelo will likely defend his belts against another Al Haymon fighter to end his PBC agreement in September. He will eventually be free for Crawford a few months after that fight.
Alalshikh named Canelo vs. Crawford the event he wants to make after securing Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk for May 18. He told ESPN: “I’m working to deliver [Canelo], but it will be a big fight [for Crawford]. I’ll discuss with him the names,” stated Alalshikh.
Crawford added: “A lot of respect comes with Turki and myself. He’s seen the road I had to take to get to where I am now. And he just wanted to display respect for the sport of boxing. He’s not somebody coming to hold these types of fighters down and not let the world see him. It’s an honor that he chose me. He could have chosen anybody else. So I’m definitely grateful.”
Pitting Canelo and Crawford together for the super middleweight world titles will be another mighty step towards Alalshikh conquering boxing for Saudi Arabia.
On behalf of the Saudi Prince he represents, Alalshikh is determined to stop the sport from killing itself from within. This has happened in recent years with promoter infighting.
“[Boxing] is broken, but I think we don’t need to get everything back together,” Alalshikh pointed out. “We need to improve it with something else.
“We have a strategic vision where we have identified untapped opportunities and are committed to market improvement.”
Canelo vs. Crawford isn’t seen as a fight that will fix boxing by any means. However, it will be interesting to see a 147-pounder move up almost twenty pounds in a face-off involving two of the best boxers on the planet.
It’s actual fantasy boxing and only in the vicinity of being made due to the money and power the Saudis hold. It’s one step closer to happening for real.
Read all articles and exclusive interviews by Phil Jay. Learn more about the author, experienced boxing writer, and World Boxing News Editor since 2010. Follow on Twitter @PhilJWBN.
