Mexican boxing legend Julio Cesar Chavez sent a strong message to Saul “Canelo” Alvarez ahead of his highly anticipated fight against Terence “Bud” Crawford, to be held on September 13, 2025 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Chavez, considered the greatest Mexican boxer of all time, felt that Canelo must win convincingly to reaffirm his legacy, especially after his drought of knockouts since 2021.
“With all due respect, if he doesn’t knock out Crawford, then who is he going to knock out,” said Julio Cesar Chavez in an interview with sports media in Mexico. The historic former world champion added that the fight represents a crucial point in the Jalisco native’s career: “Canelo has everything to win. But if he wants to prove that he is still the best pound for pound, he must win with authority”.
A legacy-defining duel
Buzzy
Canelo, 35, will defend his four undisputed super middleweight titles (WBA, WBC, WBO and IBF).
He comes from defeating Cuban William Scull by unanimous decision last May in Saudi Arabia, which allowed him to maintain his position as number 1 in his division.
For his part, Terence Crawford, 37, currently ranked No. 3 pound-for-pound by ESPN, will move up two weight classes (from 154 to 168 pounds) to challenge the Mexican.
In his last fight, in August 2024, he defeated Uzbekistan’s Israil Madrimov at super welterweight.
The fight will be streamed on Netflix, marking the first time the platform has live streamed a boxing event of this magnitude.
Kickoff is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. (Central Mexico) / 7:00 p.m. ET in the United States.
Pressure on Canelo
Julio Cesar Chavez also recognized Crawford’s quality and assured that it will not be an easy challenge:
“Crawford is fast, smart and has a punch. But Canelo is bigger, stronger and has experience.”
He can't let this go to the scorecards
Julio César Chávez
Meanwhile, Canelo says he will knock Crawford out in 6 or 7 rounds, confident in his preparation and motivated to defend his legacy.
His trainer Eddy Reynoso has insisted that the main objective is to win, even if not by knockout.
For more information, visit QuéOnnda.com.
