Alvarez sets up Crawford fight with Saudi deal

Mexican superstar Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez has agreed a four-fight deal with Saudi Arabia's Riyadh Season to set up a super-fight with American Terence Crawford in September.

Alvarez, 34, will fight in Saudi for the first time in May, before facing Crawford in September and then competing in two more Saudi-organised bouts in 2026.

"The deal is done," Turki Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia's general entertainment authority, posted on X, external on Thursday.

Four-weight world champion Alvarez, who holds the WBA, WBC and WBO super-middleweight titles, replied, external: "Let's go brother."

Negotiations for the blockbuster Alvarez-Crawford bout had appeared to have broken down earlier on Thursday. It is understood Alvarez was instead in conversations to fight YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in May in a separate deal.

But Alvarez, who has won 62 of his 66 professional fights, performed a U-turn late on Thursday following further talks with Alalshikh.

Crawford is the first man to have been undisputed in two weight classes.

The 34-year-old – who is the WBA light-middleweight champion – has won all 41 pro bouts, but will be an underdog against the much heavier Alvarez.

"I'm waiting on Canelo in September and going to shock the world in Riyadh Season," Crawford posted on X., external

It was on. It was off. A YouTuber was thrown into the mix. But after the high drama of the past 24 hours, a deal for the biggest fight in boxing appears to be done.

Despite the Saudi hold over boxing, Alvarez – a fighter whose popularity transcends the sport - had so far resisted the advances of Alalshkih.

But now Alvarez v Crawford will undoubtedly become boxing's hot topic for the next seven months, one of the most anticipated and discussed bouts in recent history.

Both men are vastly experienced, incredibly talented and generational greats in their own right. The undefeated record lies with Crawford. Yet there is a huge disparity in weight, with Alvarez a fighter who has been a world champion at light-heavyweight and Crawford having to move up two divisions.

IBF champion William Scull is being touted as an opponent for Alvarez in May, giving the Mexican a chance to regain the belt and once again become undisputed at super-middleweight.

Crawford could then be presented with a legacy-defining opportunity to become a three-weight undisputed champion by challenging Alvarez. Unconfirmed reports suggest Alvarez-Crawford could take place in a Saudi-organised card in Las Vegas on 13 September.

The reaction would have been very different if a somewhat absurd Alvarez-Paul fight – which was reportedly going to be streamed on Netflix - had materialised. In his last fight, Paul outpointed a 58-year-old Mike Tyson.