Two of this generation’s best boxers meet on Sept. 13 when undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez takes on WBA junior middleweight champion Terence Crawford to settle a debate as to who is best after six years of competing for ESPN’s pound-for-pound top spot.
Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) is boldly stepping up two weight classes to challenge Canelo, boxing’s biggest earner for most of the past decade.
While Canelo’s star appeal remains as bright as ever, he enters the ring facing an opponent who is ranked higher on ESPN’s pound-for-pound list.
But Crawford has been more inactive, having fought just once a year since 2020. His most recent fight was a decision win over Ismail Madrimov in August 2024.
Beating Canelo, 35, would make Crawford, 37, the only male boxer in the four-belt era to be undisputed champion in three weight classes, solidifying his status as a top pound-for-pound fighter. For Canelo (63-3-3, 39 KOs), who was disappointing last time out in a decision win over little-known William Scull in May, a win over Crawford would see him at least rise from his No. 8 spot.
Here’s a deeper look at the careers of Canelo and Crawford — their best performance, best KO win, most dominant fight, the one when they struggled or disappointed and the most important.
Sept. 17, 2022 — T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas
The final fight of the trilogy with Golovkin, four years after their second bout, was not as entertaining as the first two, as Canelo emerged a clear winner over the 40-year-old GGG, but the trilogy fight will probably be remembered as Canelo’s most significant win.
In beating Golovkin, Canelo settled the trilogy with a perfect response to a decision loss to Dmitry Bivol at light heavyweight four months before. Alvarez retained his undisputed super middleweight crown with scorecards of 115-113, 115-113 and 116-112.
“Everybody knows this is high-level class. This is the best fighter in boxing. Everyone knows who is Canelo,” Golovkin said after the fight. “This fight is more tactical. Today, Canelo is better. Congrats to Canelo.”
The win ended previous arguments over a controversial draw in 2017 and a close majority decision for Canelo in 2018 in their first two fights.
July 29, 2023 — T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas
Crawford delivered a technical master class as he floored his biggest rival three times on his way to a ninth-round stoppage win. Spence had eye cataract surgery six months later and had been dealing with a detached retina suffered during a sparring session in 2021. But that should not detract from such an accomplished performance from “Bud.” Crawford picked off Spence with ease with his counterpunching and knocked him down in Round 2 with a left-right combination, then returned Spence to the canvas with a counter right and for a third time with a heavy right hook, both in Round 7. Crawford was bombarding Spence with unanswered punches when the fight was stopped in the ninth round.
Crawford’s knockout wins over former welterweight champions Kell Brook and Shawn Porter saw his stock rise through 2020 and 2021 before reaching its highest point with the victory over Spence to become undisputed welterweight champion. This was Crawford’s only megafight before his clash with Canelo, compared to at least eight Canelo has competed in (Floyd Mayweather Jr., Miguel Cotto, Golovkin three times, Daniel Jacobs, Sergey Kovalev and Bivol).
In 2023, Crawford started and ended the year as ESPN’s No. 1 pound-for-pound boxer, with his speed, ring IQ and defense comfortably elevating him above anyone else at welterweight. The win over Spence helped to cement that.
Nov. 2, 2019 — MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas
This was vintage Canelo. He has had so many good moments, but this is one of my favorites.
It was a risky assignment, but Alvarez avoided danger early on and patiently waited for his moment to pounce. Canelo turned Kovalev’s legs to jelly with a left hook in the 11th round, then sent him into dreamland with a right cross and left him draped over the ropes.
What makes it better is that Canelo stepped up two weight divisions to produce his best knockout finish against a renowned puncher and light heavyweight world champion. Alvarez, the reigning middleweight champion at the time, moved up 15 pounds to win the WBO light heavyweight belt.
Considering the opponent, this brilliant KO finish was better than those against James Kirkland, Amir Khan, Caleb Plant and Liam Smith — all worth checking out.
The landmark win also saw Canelo, who was 29, become a world champion in a fourth weight class, a feat that leveled him with fellow Mexican greats Juan Manuel Marquez, Erik “Terrible” Morales and Jorge “Travieso” Arce.
June 28, 2014 — CenturyLink Center, Omaha, Nebraska
In Crawford’s first world title defense, he stopped Gamboa in Round 9. Gamboa was down four times in total, but this was no walk in the park for Crawford. Gamboa, who went into the fight unbeaten, showed unrelenting bravery and aggression, which made this an intense brawl.
The Cuban boxer, an Olympic gold medal winner in 2004, won the early rounds and was coming on strong when Crawford first scored a knockdown in Round 5. Crawford put Gamboa down again with some beautiful shots in the eighth. But the best of the lot was a sweet right uppercut in Round 9 that uprooted Gamboa and knocked him out.
Sept. 16, 2017 — T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas
Although this fight led to Canelo facing a lot of criticism, it spurred him to produce better performances and knockouts. The controversial split draw (one judge scored the fight 118-110 for Canelo and later stood down as judge) was the motivation Canelo needed to win two more fights against Golovkin and conquer two more weight divisions.
Canelo’s three fights against Golovkin are among the biggest of his career, because Canelo got the better of one of the best middleweight champions in boxing history and rebounded to silence criticism.
In the buildup to the first fight, Golovkin-Canelo was compared to the thrilling and ferocious middleweight title fight between Marvin Hagler and Thomas Hearns in 1985. But Canelo did not engage enough for the fight to be a classic, and Golovkin did not land the clean shots that had taken out 33 of his 37 previous professional opponents up to that point. Alvarez attempted to counter Golovkin, who was the aggressor and busier.
Canelo was hurt by the public’s reaction to the first fight, which included him being booed by some of his own fans following the announcement of a draw. It led to Canelo raising his game in the rematch a year later, earning scores of 115-113 twice, with a third scoring it a 114-114 draw.
March 1, 2014 — SEC Centre, Glasgow, Scotland
Crawford arrived in Glasgow to challenge local hero Burns for the WBO lightweight title with a reputation as a talented prospect, but he was still relatively unknown. Crawford, then 26, dominated from the fourth round to win by scores of 116-112, 117-111 and 116-112 as Burns suffered his first defeat in 10 world title fights in front of a crowd of 10,000 fans.
Crawford was in sublime form in his first world title fight. He boarded his flight back home with his reputation enhanced after outclassing Burns and securing a win that would launch a career that has seen him win world titles in four weight classes.
Other title-winning performances were also important in Crawford’s career, but a defeat to Burns would have delayed Crawford’s arrival at the top. That was the fight that started it all. Crawford was composed and classy throughout, too quick and too slick for Burns in Crawford’s first and only pro fight outside the United States, and in his first fight to go 12 rounds.
“You can see why he’s being touted as the next big thing in America; the best man won on the night,” Burns said afterward. “He was always in and out. I was overreaching and he was getting me with counters.”
May 8, 2021 — AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
ESPN kept Crawford as pound-for-pound No. 1 following Canelo’s win over Callum Smith in December 2020, but Alvarez gained the top spot when he delivered a spiteful beatdown on Saunders in a super middleweight title unification fight.
A pulverizing right uppercut in Round 8 closed Saunders’ right eye and caused enough damage that his corner stopped the fight before the ninth round.
Alvarez enjoyed the eighth round, waving to fans in the crowd of 73,126 (a record for an indoor boxing event) as he inflicted damage that left Saunders needing surgery to repair a fractured right orbital bone.
At the time of the stoppage, Saunders was down 78-74, 77-75 and 78-74 on the scorecards. This win saw Alvarez add the WBO title to his WBC and WBA super middleweight belts.
April 20, 2019 — Madison Square Garden, New York
Crawford’s wins over David Avanesyan and Jeff Horn were also dominant, but the Round 6 knockout of Khan stands out because Crawford tamed a fighter with faster hands and movement.
Crawford dominated from the first bell, putting Khan down in Round 1. Crawford then handed out a beating over the ensuing rounds, and when Khan was caught by an unintentional low blow from Crawford in Round 6, Khan’s corner rescued him from more punishment. Crawford was leading on the scorecards 49-45, 50-44 and 49-45 at the time of the stoppage.
It was a one-sided win and showed Crawford at his best. The first knockdown started with a counter right as Crawford combined power, speed and ring smarts, reading Khan’s jab. Crawford bamboozled Khan as he switched between stances, and his pinpoint accuracy saw him land twice as many punches (88 to 44, according to CompuBox).
In finishing Khan in six rounds, Crawford matched the exploits of Alvarez, who had beaten Kahn also in six rounds three years earlier.
May 3, 2025 — ANB Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Rather than being one of his two losses to Mayweather and Bivol, Canelo’s most underwhelming performance came in a fight he comfortably won earlier this year. His most recent outing was an anticlimactic win that earned him widespread criticism.
This was a sleep-inducing affair, as Alvarez cruised to a one-sided decision win over Scull to become undisputed super middleweight champion for the second time. It amounted to a disappointing debut in Saudi Arabia for Alvarez after signing a mega-bucks deal with Riyadh Season. Alvarez threw a meager 152 punches as he failed to shine on a forgettable fight. According to CompuBox, Alvarez’s total punches were the second fewest in a 12-round fight in the company’s 40-year history.
Rather than the Scull performance being evidence of Alvarez’s decline, it was probably just about Alvarez doing enough to get by and set up the fight with Crawford, whom he met face to face in the ring moments after dealing with Scull.
Aug. 3, 2024 — BMO Stadium, Los Angeles
In a tactical chess match, Crawford earned unanimous scores of 116-112, 115-113 and 115-113 to become a four-division champion as he captured the WBA junior middleweight title.
Despite the victory, Crawford sounded disappointed afterward.
“I ain’t gonna lie,” Crawford said. “He’s strong … he got me to Round 12. …This guy is big.
“He was disciplined. He didn’t come in throwing wild shots like I intended him to.”
It was the first time Crawford went the distance since Viktor Postol took him 12 rounds in July 2016.Crawford’s jab was effective and he crucially won the late rounds, but Madrimov had success early on with straight right hands.
When Crawford fights another bigger opponent in Alvarez, he will be hoping to show a tighter defense.