A year ago, a fight between Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford seemed like a distant dream. ‘Bud,’ a two-weight undisputed champion, wanted to finish his career on a high note by squaring off against ‘Cinnamon,’ but the Mexican superstar wasn’t in the mood to make the fight for less than it was worth. Then came the knight in shining armor. 

GEA Chairman His Excellency Turki Alalshikh signed a four-fight deal with the 34-year-old, putting him on a collision course with Crawford. Since then, there has been much debate regarding who will win the fight. Some say Crawford’s superior skills will give him the upper hand. Meanwhile, others swear by Canelo’s destructive power at 168 lbs. To add his voice to the ongoing debate, a former UFC welterweight champion has now shared his verdict.

33-year-old Leon Edwards recently appeared in an interview with ES News while attending the IBA.Pro 7 Champions’ Night on July 2, 2025, in Istanbul, Türkiye, at Rixos Tersane Istanbul. “It’s one of these fights, right? I think ‘Bud’ is the better skilled… but just for the weight, Canelo has the edge,” the former UFC welterweight champion said. 

Speaking of weight, Crawford is moving up two weight divisions for the fight, which has been one of the go-to reasons Canelo supporters have been holding on to rally behind his win. The rationale was further bolstered by Crawford’s close call against Israil Madrimov last year. However, Canelo also struggled in his last outing. 

Although not for the same reasons as Crawford, Canelo faced William Scull, who seemed hell-bent on maintaining a distance and relied overly on lateral movement. After 12 long rounds, Canelo was awarded a unanimous decision win. Regardless, both fighters have promised there wouldn’t be any running during the September 13th fight. 

It’s worth noting that Netflix will broadcast the fight, scheduled for September 13th at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. UFC head honcho Dana White, who will launch the new Boxing league in collaboration with the General Entertainment Authority of Saudi Arabia and Sela, has been reinstated as the head promoter. 

In the meantime, Terence Crawford and Canelo Alvarez have kicked off their rivalry with vicious trash talk.

Terence Crawford ropes in Dmitry Bivol to make his point ahead of the Canelo Alvarez fight

Canelo Alvarez has faced several great opponents, but when he questioned Crawford’s resume on Friday during the last of three press conferences, the 37-year-old didn’t miss a beat. Crawford immediately referenced Canelo’s 2022 loss to Dmitry Bivol. “So, that means you’re a good fighter and Bivol is a great fighter, right?”

When Alvarez insisted he’s a great fighter, Crawford shot back, “So, you got your a** whupped by a good fighter, right?” Crawford seems to have seen a pattern in all this, as he noted, “Every time you stepped up, you lost, great fighter.” With the opportunity to become the first male three-weight undisputed champion, he dismissed all the doubts. 

“When I stomp a mudhole in your a**, is you gonna be a nobody?”

Things are clearly heating up between Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford ahead of the fight. While Leon Edwards thinks Canelo will have the edge, Crawford doesn’t have a shortage of supporters either. Suddenly, what was an easy fight for Canelo has become one of the hardest fights to predict. But who do you think will win?