Canelo Alvarez is set to fight twice in 2025, with an opponent for his usual Cinco De Mayo bout yet to be announced, and an exciting match-up with Terence Crawford reportedly scheduled for September.
Canelo comes off a string of victories, the most recent of which being Edgar Berlanga, who was dropped on the way to a decision win for the Mexican. As his career begins to slow, the P4P talent has met criticism over recent opponent choices, and, with David Benavidez seemingly posing too much of a risk at this point in his career, Canelo has been forced into a big money fight against Terence Crawford – one of the top fights Turki Alalshikh hoped to see in 2025.
Crawford, the clear underdog, last moved up to face Israil Madrimov, and won in a close decision. Fans and boxing experts alike believe moving up further may prove to be a step too far for ‘Bud’.
As a result, Crawford has until September to acclimate to the higher weight, leaving Canelo’s annual slot in May free for another opponent.
Canelo to Become 2x Undisputed Super-Middleweight
In an interview, Canelo’s trainer, Eddy Reynoso, suggested two potential opponents for Canelo’s May fight – Christian Mbilli and William Scull.
28-0 Mbilli last fought Sergiy Derevyanchenko, winning a near-shutout decision against a man who ran a very close fight with Jaime Munguia. Since the interview, however, Mbilli has been announced to be fighting 24-0 Kevin Lele Sadjo, leaving William Scull as the clear frontrunner for the fight.
Scull, who holds the IBF Super-middleweight title following a win against Vladimir Shishkin, would prove to be a potential route for Canelo to become a two-time undisputed super-middleweight, having first achieved the accolade when he added the IBF title to his collection in the Caleb Plant fight.
Though the Crawford fight is the more intriguing, becoming undisputed twice is a clear incentive for Canelo to opt for the Scull fight, despite the criticism it will incite from certain spheres in the boxing world.
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