Two-time undisputed champion Canelo Alvarez will be sidelined for at least two months after undergoing elbow surgery.
The Mexican superstar lost his four belts at super-middleweight earlier this month in a super-fight defeat by Terence Crawford, the new undisputed champion at 168lb.
First reported by The Ring, the 35-year-old is expected to return to full training in 12 to 15 weeks’ time, with his next fight likely to take place in the second or third quarter of 2026.
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That would potentially scupper boxing supremo Turki Alalshikh’s plans.
Alvarez is halfway through a four-fight deal with Riyadh Season, having previously reunified the super-middleweight division with a victory over William Scull in May before losing to Crawford in September.
Alalshikh had hoped Canelo would return to the ring in February of next year, but it seems unlikely that the four-division champion will be fully fit in time.
Instead, The Ring reports that Alalshikh is looking for new headliners for his planned card in Saudi Arabia, with light heavyweight David Benavidez and welterweight Devin Haney eyed up for co-main bouts.
Fighting in February would have marked a departure from Canelo’s usual schedule, with the fighter often staging bouts around Cinco de Mayo weekend in May, and Mexican Independence Day in September.
Canelo has followed that pattern of two fights every 12 months for the past four years. It is the third time that Alvarez has opted for surgery during the course of his 20-year professional career. He previously took time out of the ring to have surgery on his right knee in 2018, with another break for an operation on his left wrist in 2022.
Defeat by Crawford was just the third of Canelo’s 68-fight long career. His record now stands at 63 wins, three losses, and three draws, with 39 of his victories coming by way of stoppage.
In the aftermath of his recent loss, Alvarez insisted that he has no plans to retire any time soon. Since losing his champion status, Canelo has been installed as the number one super middleweight contender by the WBC, WBA, and WBO. The IBF are yet to update their rankings for September.
