Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, says he made an offer to Canelo Alvarez to face Terence Crawford in a super-fight between two of boxing’s best. But on Monday, Canelo disputed that idea, saying the proposal hasn’t reached him yet.
“I don’t have any offer,” Canelo said following a news conference to promote his September 14 super middleweight championship versus Edgar Berlanga. “Look, I’m 100 per cent focused on this fight and then we’ll see.”
Canelo-Berlanga will take place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas atop a PBC Pay-Per-View on Prime Video on Mexican Independence Day Weekend. Crawford won a title in a fourth weight division on Saturday by dethroning junior middleweight titleholder Israil Madimov in his debut at 154 pounds.
Canelo-Berlanga will go head-to-head and fight for attention on September 14 with UFC 306, which will present the first live sporting event at the innovative Sphere in Las Vegas on that date. Canelo, 34, said he wasn’t concerned with the dueling events.
“I like to fight on Mexican Independence Day,” said Canelo, one of the sport’s best pound-for-pound fighters and biggest box office draws. “So I don’t care who’s also there.”
During the face-off following Monday’s presser, Berlanga leaned over and seemed to be whispering a private message in Canelo’s ear. Canelo’s facial expression didn’t change as Berlanga’s murmuring grew a little animated.
“I don’t understand really well what he said,” Canelo said to laughter from reporters of the moment. “He said, ‘You will see something different.’ And I said, ‘You will see something different.’”
Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) shrugged off criticism he’s received for not facing more decorated fighters like David Benavidez or fearsome fighters like David Morrell.
“Everyone wants to face me,” he said. “Everybody is talking about me. That’s good.”
The IBF stripped Canelo of his 168-pound title and his undisputed status when he decided to face Berlanga instead of his long-overdue mandatory title defense against William Scull. Canelo didn’t seem bothered by the IBF’s move.
“I don’t think much of that decision,” he said in Spanish.
Canelo last fought on May 4 when he recorded a knockdown and decisioned a game Jaime Munguia. Canelo has recorded four straight decision wins since he dropped a 12-rounder to Dmitry Bivol in May of 2022. The 27-year-old Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) from Brooklyn rose to fame by stopping his first 16 opponents in the first round. Canelo will look for his first knockout since dispatching Caleb Plant in their undisputed 168-pound championship in 2021.
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