Fans on social media believe Canelo Alvarez will choose to fight Terence Crawford in a rematch in May 2026. They expect the rematch announcement to happen soon.
Canelo’s Subdued Performance
There’s too much money that the Mexican superstar can make in a second fight, and his subdued performance suggests something was wrong mentally or physically with him that night. He didn’t seem himself before or even after the fight at the post-fight press conference. It was like watching a play with a bad actor in the lead part. To some fans, it looked like Canelo was intentionally not trying to win.
Everything about the Canelo-Crawford fight just seemed wrong and weird. Alvarez knows he can do better because he looked like he was fighting at 25% capacity throughout the fight. It was very strange.
The question is, will fans be eager to see a second fight between them? Without either of them fighting before next May, it may be difficult to get fans as amped up for a second contest, especially if they view it as a pathetic money grab.
With the rematch being shown on Netflix, it doesn’t matter if fewer fans bother to watch. According to VideoAmp, 41.4 million viewers watched the Canelo vs. Crawford event on Netflix. 20.3 U.S viewers watched of that total.
So, even if fewer fans are interested in seeing a second fight between them, it won’t matter because of Netflix’s massive pool of subscribers.
Alvarez’s Mental State
What excuses can be made for Canelo to explain why he fought like he was holding back the entire contest? Why did he seem detached at the post-fight press conference?
Fans think Alvarez (63-3-2, 39 KOs) will stew on his loss before announcing a second fight. Crawford, of course, will immediately agree to it because the payday will be even bigger next time than the $50 million he got last Saturday night.
Bud is not going to make that kind of money fighting anyone else at super middleweight, and the chances are that he’ll lose if he fights any of the good 168-lb contenders. Crawford’s a good fighter, but small, weak, old, and not physically equipped to beat the young contenders.
A New Commentary Team Needed
If the Canelo vs. Crawford rematch does happen, hopefully the commentators are switched out in favor of a new, unbiased team. Last time, their commentary appeared slanted in Crawford’s favor. It was consistent throughout the fight, painting a false picture of a one-sided fight, when in reality it was a close contest.
I was forced to turn off the sound because the Netflix commentary team’s words didn’t match the fight inside the ring or even come close to matching it.
Swapping out the whole team would be a good idea, and starting with some new blood that does a better job of giving a clear picture of what’s going on inside the ring.