Canelo Alvarez‘s career suffered a major setback in September when he lost to Terence Crawford in their super-middleweight encounter.

Entering their contest as the undisputed champion at 168lbs, many felt that Canelo’s physical advantages would prove too significant for his naturally smaller opponent to cope with.

As it turned out though, Crawford produced one of his career-best performances to outfox and often frustrate the Mexican through large spells of their showdown.

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It soon became clear that ‘Bud’ was not only in possession of the more calculated strategy, but also had the right temperament and technical advantages to put his gameplan into action.

It came as no surprise when Crawford was announced as the unanimous decision winner and in turn cemented his legacy by becoming a three-division undisputed champion.

That achievement is remarkable in itself, but even more impressive was the optics of a 38-year-old, seemingly coming towards the end of his career, being able to clinically dismantle his much bigger rival.

It would appear that there is not so much a particular attribute for Crawford, but rather a well-rounded approach, that almost makes him the full package. That much, at least, was expressed by Canelo during their post-fight press conference. When asked why he fell short on the night, Canelo simply put it down to not being able to figure out his opponent’s style.

“We knew Crawford is a great fighter. I did what I was supposed to do I tried every way.

I tried very hard. He deserves all the credit. I tried my best. I just couldn’t figure out his style.

He has everything.”

Crawford’s skills could be about to be put to the test again, with a potential move down to middleweight on the cards as he sets his sights on one man in particular.

Canelo Alvarez has been in the news a lot in recent years, however, after his recent defeat to Terence Crawford, the environment of the former champion from Guadalajara has been quieter than usual.

Now, Saul Alvarez has reappeared on social media, with a photo that has moved several of his fans, but also worries about the physical condition of Alvarez Barragan.

Through his Instagram, Canelo Alvarez uploaded a photo where he can be seen sitting on a couch with two of his daughters, Maria Fernanda Alvarez and baby Eva Victoria Alvarez. But, although the Guadalajara-born fighter looks calm, what worries several of his fans is that Canelo Alvarez is wearing a sling on his left arm, as he was recently operated on.

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What was Canelo Alvarez operated on for?

Canelo Alvarez underwent surgery on his left elbow on October 23, 2025, in a surgical procedure called arthroscopy that serves to clean and repair accumulated damage in his left joint.

Some of Saul Alvarez’s fans wondered if Canelo’s surgery was caused by the fight with Terence Crawford, but this is not the case, as Alvarez Barragan suffered the damage to his left elbow from all the years he has fought in elite boxing.

Canelo Alvarez’s next fight would not be until mid-2026 and his recent surgery would prevent him from getting into the ring before that date. It is still unknown who Saul Alvarez’s next opponent might be, although many believe he could fight Terence Crawford again to regain all his titles.

What is true is that Canelo Alvarez has shown another side since he lost to Terence Crawford, as he has shown himself to be more attached to his family. Recently, he congratulated his son Emily Cinnamon on his 18th birthday; now, Canelo reappears hand in hand with his other two daughters and his injured arm, hinting that perhaps his family will now be the priority and that the time is approaching to put aside the boxing gloves.

“What Else Is Left For You?”: Canelo Offered Mega Fight Lifeline Following Terence Crawford Loss

Canelo Alvarez appears to have been offered yet another ‘mega-fight’ just weeks after he was beaten by Terence Crawford.

The Mexican great was handed the third defeat of his professional career by ‘Bud’ Crawford when they clashed in Las Vegas on September 13, surrendering his undisputed super-middleweight world championship in the process.

Canelo had gone into his clash with the American star as the favourite but could not match the tempo that had been set by ‘Bud’ on fight night, leaving him faced with a style that appeared to frustrate him over the course of their historic 12-round clash.

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As he prepares to enter what could be the final few years of his decorated career, Canelo has been offered an opportunity to finally lock horns with long-term rival David Benavidez, who currently holds the WBC light-heavyweight title.

In an interview with talkSPORT, Benavidez claimed that he is ‘still hopeful’ that a showdown between himself and Canelo can be made, as he admits he is targeting ‘all the belts’ at light-heavyweight.

“No I haven’t given up complete hope in that fight. I feel like until he retires and he’s out of the sport of boxing, there’s always going to be a possibility of that fight being made.

“And for good reason because at the end of the day, what other fight is there left for Canelo? And now it seems like I got the cards in my hands, he doesn’t have any belt at 168 and I have a belt at 175 and I’m planning to get all the belts at 175.”

Benavidez is set to make the first defence of his WBC world title next month as he prepares to face Britain’s two-time world title challenger Anthony Yarde on Saturday November 22 at the ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The post-fight conversation Canelo vs Crawford already points to a new superstar looking for an opportunity.

Although the historic fight between Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and Terence Crawford is already in the past, the attention of the boxing world has not been diverted from these names. Just over a month after this fight, where the American defeated the Mexican and stripped him of his super middleweight titles, the first challengers willing to step into the ring with the undisputed champion have already begun to emerge.

While both fighters have taken a breather because neither has confirmed upcoming fights, new names have emerged on the list as possible challengers and one of the first has been Jermell Charlo, who already faced Canelo and now raises his hand to face Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford.

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Jermell Charlo wants to face Crawford: “The best fight he can do is with me”

In a recent interview with The Ring Magazine, former world champion Jermell Charlo made no secret of his desire to face Terence Crawford in the near future. Charlo, who has not fought since his decision loss to Canelo in 2023, said that a fight against the undisputed champion would be the ideal challenge:

If I were to be offered a fight with Crawford… I spoke to him once, and it would be an honor to get in the ring with him. Just for what he has done to become undisputed champion, he completed something that I did not complete. To be in the ring against Crawford would be incredible

Jermell Charlo

In addition, Charlo made it clear that from his perspective there is no better opponent currently for Crawford than himself: “I would give him the best fight of the current era. I don’t think there’s another fight in the boxing world that Crawford can do right now. The best fight, actually, would be against me,” the fighter added.

Jermell Charlo vs Terence Crawford: What is known about a possible fight

So far neither Crawford nor his team have officially responded to Charlo’s statements, however, the idea of facing another former world champion with a history in the super welterweight division could be attractive to a boxer like Crawford who has already proven that he can make the leap to higher divisions.

Although Charlo’s last performance left doubts about his current level, his name carries weight in boxing, and the fight with ‘Bud’ could happen if a good purse comes along. However, at the moment many possible opponents have been mentioned for the American and at the moment there is nothing official about the plans of the undisputed champion.