Terence Crawford Explains Why Canelo Alvarez Refused To Retire

Crawford said Canelo still wants to prove himself after last year’s loss before returning against Christian Mbilli in September

Terence Crawford believes Canelo Alvarez still has unfinished business in boxing and understands why the Mexican star refused to retire after losing to him last year. Crawford said elite fighters rarely want their careers to end on defeats and expects Canelo to return motivated against Christian Mbilli in September.

Canelo is scheduled to fight Mbilli in September in Saudi Arabia after being out of the ring for nearly a year following his defeat to Crawford in Las Vegas. Crawford discussed Canelo’s return during DAZN’s coverage of fight week in Egypt ahead of Saturday’s heavyweight fight between Oleksandr Usyk and Rico Verhoeven.

“I think it’s going to be a great fight,” Crawford said of the September 12th fight between Canelo and WBC super middleweight champion Mbilli.

“Mbilli puts on a lot of pressure. Canelo, we need to see what type of shape he’s going to come in for this fight. Canelo is an all-time great, and I’m looking forward to seeing how he bounces back. I’m excited to watch the fight.

“Canelo won’t want to end his career on a loss like he did with me, so I can see Canelo wanting to come back and prove himself and be back champion and do the things he wanted to do in the sport of boxing and leave on his own terms.”

Crawford viewed Canelo’s return as a competitor refusing to leave the sport after a loss, but the financial side is difficult to ignore.

Alvarez reportedly signed a four-fight Riyadh Season deal in 2025 and still has two fights remaining heading into the Mbilli contest. His return also keeps one of boxing’s biggest commercial partnerships active.

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