Turki Al-Sheikh revealed a new 4-fight deal between Canelo Alvarez and Riyadh Season. Terence Crawford will be Canelo’s opponent for September in Las Vegas, but the other three dates still need to be determined. Canelo will not fight Jake Paul in his four fights with Turki. That match is not happening.
There are three mystery dates with no opponent and only Crawford. That’s a tough one to like. You can’t throw Crawford in with someone like David Benavidez and expect him to make it out of the fight without a one-side defeat. If I were Turki, I’d dump Crawford and focus on younger fighters around Canelo’s weight class or higher.
Turki’s four-fight plant for Canelo
- May fight in Riyadh: TBA
- September in Las Vegas: Terence Crawford
- February 2026 in Riyadh: TBA
- October 2026 in Riyadh: TBA
There’s an excellent chance that Dmitry Bivol will be among those four if he’s victorious against Artur Beterbiev on February 22nd. Bivol already beat Canelo decisively in 2023, and he never attempted to avenge the loss. Promoter Eddie Hearn has made it known that he wants Bivol to fight Canelo if he captures the undisputed championship from Beterbiev. That’s a tall order, but if he does, it’s predictable that Bivol will be on the 4-fight list.
Biggest Fight Ever?
Al-Sheikh says Canelo will be fighting in May in Riyadh. He said that the fight would be the “biggest fight in the history of boxing,” but it’s unclear if he meant to fight in May or September.
If he’s calling Canelo vs. Crawford the biggest fight ever, fans would disagree. 38-year-old Crawford moving up two weight classes to 168 for a retirement payday is NOT the biggest fight. It’s a money grab. I’ve watched Crawford his entire career, and he’s not exciting. He definitely won’t make it entertaining against Canelo. He’ll follow the Mayweather blueprint.
That’s more of a circus-level event along the lines of Canelo-Paul. Now, if Crawford were to prove himself first to earn a fight against Canelo by beating David Benavidez, David Morrell, or Diego Pacheco, then we’re talking. Other than that, Canelo fighting an old, small Crawford is for fans who like watching boxing but not action. Crawford’s debut at 154 was so boring.
