Two of the best boxers alive in Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford will face off TONIGHT (Sat., Sept. 13, 2025) inside Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Alvarez is still the biggest name in boxing, a superstar and undisputed champion. However, he’s begun to face criticism that he’s slowing down. The 33-year-old has won six straight fights since coming up short to the larger and equally excellent Dmitry Bivol, but he hasn’t actually scored a knockout in the last four years. 33 isn’t old, but Alvarez has been
boxing professionally since 2005, so there’s may be something to the idea that Canelo is past his absolute peak.
Crawford, meanwhile, is actually four years older than Alvarez, but fewer critics are harping on his age after his jaw-dropping 2023 TKO victory over Errol Spence Jr. The big question on the “Bud” side of the equation is whether or not he can handle the size and power of Alvarez, as Crawford is jumping up quite a few pounds from his usual weight class for this super fight.
Let’s take a closer look at the betting odds and strategic keys for each athlete:
Alvarez vs. Crawford Betting Odds
- Canelo Alvarez victory: -170
- Canelo Alvarez via decision: +125
- Canelo Alvarez via knockout: +375
- Terence Crawford victory:+140
- Terence Crawford via decision: +235
- Terence Crawford via knockout: +800
- Odds via BetOnline.ag
How Alvarez Wins
Across his career, there have been many stages of Canelo, from the fiery young prospect who chased after Floyd Mayweather to the counter punching ace who torched the body of Gennady Golovkin in their second fight. Much of the time, Alvarez is pressing his opposition, hoping to draw out offense that creates his openings for powerful connections.
Bouts between excellent counter punchers are always thorny and often not that fun. Expert boxers who excel at timing the other man’s offense know the tricks of the trade and the risks of engaging. After punishing hundreds and thousands of their opponent’s mistakes, they’re less willing to open up and expose themselves to those connections.
In the case of Canelo, his advantage here is size and likely power. Against the smaller man, Alvarez has to make a concentrated effort to wear on Crawford. He should be leaning in the clinch and hitting the body. If neither man is willing to really open up — which is a distinct possibility — Canelo can still edge rounds by pushing forward and hitting the available targets occasionally.
How Crawford Wins
Crawford is an incredibly versatile boxer. He’s more comfortable than most operating from either stance and adjusts tremendously well over rounds, really finding openings and then building upon his success. Above all else, he’s a spectacular counter puncher who really lets his offense go when he starts smelling blood. In his 41 professional wins, 30 came via knockout.
The most obvious advantage on paper here is speed. Crawford is used to fighting and out-slicking quicker men, which is a definite edge here. Because of that quickness edge, I think a higher volume fight with lots of exchanges will ultimately favor Crawford. He wants those opportunities to get a read on Alvarez, because he should have then be able to capitalize.
Crawford cannot let Canelo bully him with pressure, size, and body work. Both men like to advance, so something is going to have to give. If Crawford is the man who accepts boxing from his back foot, it’s imperative that “Bud” sits down on his shots hard enough to earn Canelo’s respect. Otherwise, he’ll struggle to initiate his own offense and be limited solely to counters — a hard way to defeat such a skilled boxer.
Alvarez vs. Crawford Prediction
The unknowns on either side of the equation make for both an intriguing match up and difficult prediction. We really cannot be sure how well Crawford’s enhanced strength will hold up in the ring. He could shake Canelo with his power or he could fatigue himself from carrying around all that extra muscle. Either scenario seems feasible, and I do believe there’s weight to the idea that Canelo Alvarez is no longer as hungry as he used to be as well.
Hesitantly, I’m going to side with “Bud” in the minor upset. Crawford has the adaptability in his game to surprise Alvarez and steal rounds, and his power isn’t just going to disappear at Super Middleweight. Canelo’s chin is never in question, but Crawford will crack him hard enough to force his respect and control the flow of the fight.
