Terence Crawford is planning on moving up two weight divisions to take on Canelo Alvarez.
Crawford and Canelo are scheduled to meet in Las Vegas in September, bringing together two of the current best pound-for-pound fighters in the world.
It sees ‘Bud’ move up from 154lbs to 168lbs for the bout, making an unprecedented jump following his victory over Israil Madrimov last August to win the WBA super-welterweight title.
The fight against Canelo at super-middleweight could even be for undisputed honours, as long as WBC, WBA and WBO champion Canelo can first overcome IBF belt-holder William Scull when they meet in May.
It could give Crawford another chance to be undisputed, having already achieved that status at both super-lightweight and welterweight.
There is one belt that ‘Bud’ is no longer in possession of though, after it was revealed by WBO president Gustavo Olivieri that Crawford will relinquish the WBO interim super-welterweight title that he also won with that victory over Madrimov as soon as a fight with Canelo is made official.
“We have confirmed Terence Crawford will not return to the 154 lbs division and will relinquish his Interim WBO title upon the official announcement of Canelo/Crawford. Therefore, his mandatory challenger status is moot.”
The claim that ‘Bud’ will not return to 154lbs likely means that he also vacates his WBA super-welterweight title, but no official announcement has yet been made regarding that belt.
The full WBO super-welterweight title is currently held by Sebastian Fundora following his win over Tim Tszyu in March 2024. Fundora returns on Saturday after a 12-month absence, defending his belt against Chordale Booker.
All eyes turn to Canelo’s unification with Scull. Should the IBF Champion spring the upset, Crawford’s plans may change.
