It’s official: Saul “Canelo” Alvarez will defend his freshly regained undisputed super‑middleweight crown against unbeaten four‑division great Terence Crawford on Friday, 12 September 2025 at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium - the NFL Raiders’ 65‑000‑seat home and, remarkably, the first boxing card ever booked there. The date was announced moments after Álvarez out‑pointed William Scull in Riyadh, with Saudi adviser Turki Alalshikh and UFC boss Dana White revealing that the bout will headline the debut show of their new TKO Boxing venture; broadcast details are still to be finalised, but the Friday slot neatly dodges college football and the UFC’s “Noche UFC” card the next night.
Watch the official announcement: Watch
For Alvarez, 34, the Crawford challenge caps a six‑fight rebound since his lone recent loss to Dmitry Bivol. The Mexican superstar was visibly frustrated by Scull's negative tactics - “I don’t like to fight those kinds of guys… It won’t be that kind of fight against Crawford,” he promised - but he still reclaimed the IBF belt to become a two‑time undisputed 168‑lb champion.
Crawford is chasing history. Already undisputed at 140 lb and 147 lb and a belt‑holder at 154 lb after out‑classing Israil Madrimov last August, the 37‑year‑old will leap two more divisions. Victory would make him the first fighter of the four‑belt era - male or female - to become undisputed in three weight classes.
Watch Canelo vs. Scull highlights: Watch
Beyond the records, the stylistic intrigue is irresistible: Alvarez’s compact counter‑punching and granite body work versus Crawford’s switch‑hitting fluidity and immaculate timing. Weight will be the talking point - Bud enters unfamiliar 168‑lb water while Canelo, a former light‑heavyweight challenger, must contain a faster mover who’s never lost. Add Mexican Independence weekend atmosphere, stadium acoustics and a 50/50 pound‑for‑pound stakes narrative, and Las Vegas is bracing for the kind of mega‑event boxing hasn’t seen since Mayweather‑Pacquiao.
Fight card:
▪️Saul Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford, 12 rounds, for Alvarez’s IBF, WBC, and WBO world super middleweight titles
