Canelo unconcerned with Cinco de Mayo date during injury layoff

Canelo Alvarez stepping away from Cinco de Mayo in 2026 closes a long chapter. Speaking at the Ring awards, Alvarez confirmed he will not fight on the traditional May weekend as he recovers from elbow surgery following his loss to Terence Crawford. He made it plain that the date no longer concerns him. “I don’t care who takes the date,” he said, brushing aside a slot he once owned outright.

That absence is not symbolic.Alvarez has not boxed since the Crawford fight and went under the knife shortly afterward. His team has pointed toward a September 12 return in Riyadh against David Benavidez, with training expected to restart once the elbow holds up under real work.

The May 2 weekend in Las Vegas is already spoken for. Benavidez will fight Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez for the WBA and WBO cruiserweight titles, sliding into the window that Alvarez turned into an annual fixture. The calendar does not pause. It fills.

Why the date finally moved on

For more than a decade, Cinco de Mayo meant Alvarez. Promoters built around him. Networks planned months out. Opponents adjusted schedules just to land near the weekend. This time, the change did not come from negotiations or strategy. It came from surgery.

Alvarez has skipped May before, yet never like this. Injury forced the call, not money or preference. It signals where his body is after years of hard rounds and tight camps. The elbow has to carry jabs, hooks, and clinch work again before dates mean anything.

Benavidez taking the slot only sharpens the contrast. He moves forward. Canelo waits.

What this says about Alvarez’s next phase

Online reaction followed quickly once the comments landed and the Benavidez vs Ramirez fight was locked. Fans noticed the reshuffle. The noise was less outrage than adjustment. People are already used to seeing new names take old ground.

Alvarez’s focus is narrower now. Heal first. Train second. Fight later. The September plan in Riyadh fits that approach, offering time rather than urgency. There is no rush back into a weekend that once defined him.

Cinco de Mayo will go on. Alvarez will not be there. That alone tells you how much has shifted since the Crawford loss. The calendar keeps moving. So does the division. Alvarez just needs his arm to come with him.