Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and Terence Crawford will finally meet in the ring for what could be one of the fights of the century.
Canelo and Crawford have both been regarded as two of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world and will face off on 13 September in Las Vegas for the Mexican’s undisputed super-middleweight world championship.
The pair had to be separated during the press conference to confirm the fight and there are already a wide range of opinions as to who will emerge victorious.
Amir Khan is one of the few who has fought both, losing to Canelo and Crawford but told the latter in 2024 that fighting the four-weight world champion would not be his smartest bet.
Amir Khan told Terence Crawford not to fight Canelo Alvarez
Former WBA champion Khan suffered a brutal knockout defeat at the hands of Canelo in 2016 before losing to Crawford three years later.
He knows better than anyone on how these two operate but when rumours first surfaced of the two agreeing to fight, Khan warned Crawford that he would be making the wrong decision.
Speaking to talkSport in 2024, he said: “I don’t think Crawford should take that fight because he doesn’t need it.
“There are other fights out there he could take and make big money from.
“You can always get hurt, when you’re fighting a big puncher like that you can get hurt and I don’t think it’s worth it.”
Terence Crawford handed Canelo Alvarez an ultimatum before fight was agreed
Now that the fight is set in stone, some are even suggesting that it could go down as the best of the 21st century.
That’s premature to say but given how long this has been in the making, excitement is building.
Crawford has wanted this bout for ages and in 2024, he told Box Nation that Canelo was the only top fighter he was interested in facing.
“Right now I’m just weighing up my options and looking for the best opportunities for Terence Crawford and my career.
“The only way everything can be answered is if me and Canelo fight in the ring.”