Canelo and Crawford

It was a fight for the ages.

Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, considered by many to be a pound-for-pound great, took on Terence Crawford – himself an undisputed champion in two weight divisions – in Las Vegas back in September.

To the surprise of some, it was Crawford that emerged the victor thanks to a unanimous points decision, in the process becoming the undisputed super middleweight champion, and thus ensuring his hall of fame status.

Both in their mid-30s and with 110 professional fights between them, is retirement on the cards for Canelo and/or Crawford?

Fighting On

Those who follow boxing tips will have seen that the Mexican was the odds-on favorite, so they were no doubt as shocked as anyone when it was the American’s hand that was raised in victory.

Canelo has confirmed on social media that he will fight on, revealing that he still feels the ‘same fire’ as he did when making his debut two decades ago.

The boxing odds for the light heavyweight scrap between David Benavidez and Anthony Yarde at the end of November will be on his radar. Benavidez, the WBA champion, is the -1000 favorite with the sportsbooks, suggesting that he should retain his gold.

All of which offers up the tantalizing prospect of a Cinco de Mayo bout between two fighters with Mexican connections. Canelo was born in Guadalajara and fights under the flag of Mexico, while Benavidez is a naturalized American with a Mexican father.

Alvarez has fought in May almost every year since 2015, with his annual contest part of the Cinco de Mayo celebrations in his homeland. What a way for him to make a comeback in 2026 then, with his fight aspirations on hold having undergone elbow surgery in October.

Other possible opponents include light heavyweight king Dmitry Bivol, although his trilogy bout with Artur Beterbiev is likely to take precedence, or there’s the chance that Canelo will carry on at super middleweight – fellow Mexican, Jose Armando Resendiz, is the current WBA strapholder.

Or what about a rematch with Crawford, given that their original contest drew a mammoth 41 million streams on Netflix?

Champion’s Choice

The privileged position that Crawford finds himself in is that he can pick and choose his next opponent.

As the undisputed super middleweight kings, there’s no shortage of challengers at his door – the undefeated Cuban, Osleys Iglesias, perhaps the most likely candidate after Christian M’billi fought a draw with Lester Martinez in September.

Neither of those opponents are likely to draw a crowd, with no disrespect intended, while at 5ft 8in it seems unlikely – but not impossible – that Crawford will try to become a remarkable four-weight undisputed champion.

All of which leaves the 38-year-old in an unusual position of having few headline-making bouts to pursue.

Bizarrely, Crawford hasn’t campaigned at middleweight – he skipped the division to fight Canelo. But there aren’t many big names at that weight class, while the 38-year-old may find it difficult in his advancing years to consistently get down to 160lbs.

There’s a chance that he might yet retire – Crawford himself hasn’t rejected such a notion, as yet, which would ensure that his immaculate 42-0 record, and health, remain intact.

But the prospect of a rematch with Canelo next May, despite there being no automatic clause in their first fight contract, would hand Crawford one last mega payday… will he be able to resist?