Canelo Alvarez Addresses Terence Crawford Fight, Revisits Loss

Canelo Alvarez is still questioning the ending of a fight that Terence Crawford has already closed permanently.

Terence Crawford defeated Saul Alvarez by unanimous decision last September in Las Vegas, became the undisputed super middleweight champion, and retired soon after. From Crawford’s side, the victory served as a closing statement, one that ended his career with the belts and no unfinished business attached.

Alvarez accepts the decision, but he continues to challenge whether the result should be treated as settled. Speaking to The Ring, he said he believes Crawford needs to grant a rematch “to get all the credit,” placing conditions on an outcome already recorded. Alvarez also pointed to a left elbow injury, later repaired by surgery in October, as a factor he believes affected his performance on the night.

He has tied the result to the possibility of a second fight, one he believes would allow him to compete at full strength and redefine how the loss is viewed. In that telling, the defeat remains conditional rather than final.

Crawford has shown no interest in reopening that discussion. In a recent appearance on The Pivot Podcast, he reiterated that he is done with boxing and satisfied with how his career ended. From his perspective, the Alvarez fight was not a beginning point for further debate, but the final chapter of a complete run.

Alvarez has said publicly that he accepts Crawford’s retirement and understands the decision. In the same breath, he acknowledged what boxing history often shows, that retired champions sometimes return. The remark keeps the burden on Crawford, not Alvarez, to confirm that the victory requires no further validation.

That difference defines the standoff. Crawford exited with the titles and chose retirement as a way to lock the result in place. Alvarez, left without a rematch opportunity, continues to argue over legacy rather than outcome. Until Crawford changes his mind, the fight remains finished, even if one side still believes the story should have ended differently.