Canelo vs Crawford super-fight reportedly ‘off’ as Jake Paul rumours grow

A venue and approximate date had been reported, only for Thursday to bring surprising news

The planned super-fight between Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Terence Crawford has collapsed, according to The Ring.

The fight had been on a 2025 wishlist for Turki Alalshikh, the Saudi adviser and boxing matchmaker who owns the Ring magazine. It was reportedly set for September, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, although a specific date had not been publicised.

The fight would have seen Crawford move up two divisions to challenge the unified super-middleweight champion, and despite the somewhat contrived nature of the contest, it would have been one of the biggest in boxing. It would have been a meeting of pound-for-pound greats, with Crawford putting his unbeaten record on the line while Canelo risked his titles.

The news of the fight’s collapse comes amid rumours that Canelo could box YouTuber Jake Paul in the coming months. Paul, 28, has long expressed a desire to box Canelo, 34, while racking up wins over former UFC champions, lower-level professional boxers, and most recently heavyweight legend Mike Tyson.

Paul reacted to the Canelo vs Crawford update by parodying The Ring’s wording, tweeting: “A source has advised me that my fight is now….whatever I want it to be. Because I’m my source. A-Side in every fight I’ve been in and that’s not changing for this one.”

Mexico’s Canelo is a former undisputed super-middleweight champion, who has also held world titles in three other divisions. Meanwhile, Crawford is one of just three men to have been undisputed at two weights, and – like Canelo – the American has held gold in four divisions.

Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez (left) during his straightforward win against Edgar Berlanga (Getty Images)

Terence Crawford (right) outpointed Israil Madrimov to win gold at a fourth weight (AP)

Most recently, Crawford outpointed Israil Madrimov in August to win the WBA super-welterweight title. In his previous bout, in July 2023, the 37-year-old dismantled Errol Spence Jr in a shockingly one-sided fight. The result of that long-awaited fight saw Crawford become undisputed welterweight champion.

Meanwhile, Canelo last fought in September, dropping Edgar Berlanga en route to a decision win to retain his super-middleweight belts. Earlier in 2024, Canelo did the same to compatriot Jaime Munguia.