There might be better fights for Canelo Alvarez, but there probably are not any bigger and that is why it is being reported that his second contest of the 2024 could be against Terence Crawford.
It has been widely understood that Canelo could fight 160lbs champion Jermall Charlo in May, having widely outscored 154lbs twin Jermell Charlo last year.
But there has been pockets of speculation that either David Benavidez, for many the people’s choice to face Canelo, or Jaime Munguia, arguably the wild card, would get one of Canelo’s favoured two slots in the year.
It was understood that Munguia may have been on trial for Canelo against John Ryder last weekend. Munguia impressed against Ryder, stopping him in Phoenix in nine rounds, while Canelo managed to defeat Ryder on points in Mexico last May.
However, Charlo and Crawford are both with PBC – like Canelo – but Munguia is a Golden Boy fighter.
Thirty-three-year-old Charlo had his first fight in more than two years when he outscored Jose Benavidez in November.
According to ESPN’s Salvador Rodriguez, Canelo-Crawford is in play.
“By the way,” Rodriguez wrote on X, “everything looks like it would be Charlo-Crawford for Canelo in 2024, in that order.”
Crawford, aged 36, had his breakout fight in 2023, scalping long-time rival Errol Spence in emphatic fashion to win all of the belts at 147, having done the same thing at 140. The man from Omaha, Nebraska, is 40-0 with 31 early wins and he has rarely had to get out of first or second gear in his career.
Mexican icon Canelo is 33-yers-old, and has 60 wins (39 early) against two defeats and two draws.
A Canelo-Crawford showpiece would certainly be the type of contest that would move the needle for Amazon Prime, as they dip their toes into big-time boxing with PBC.
Benavidez, who has waited months if not years to fight Canelo, could head towards a David Morrell fight. The Cuban is 10-0 with nine stoppages.
