Terence Crawford to lose world title as soon as Canelo Alvarez fight starts

Terence Crawford is set to lose his super-welterweight world title as soon as he steps into the ring with Canelo Alvarez.

'Bud' is scheduled to face off against Alvarez on 13 September at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. 'Saul' will be defending his undisputed super middleweight title against the American boxing veteran, who will be moving up two weight classes to take on the Mexican.

Crawford, 37, will be stripped of his title as soon as the opening bell rings. He won the black and gold strap after defeating Israil Madrimov last August. However, WBA president Gilberto Mendoza has confirmed to boxing journalist Dan Rafael that when 'Bud' steps into the ring with Alvarez, he will no longer be recognised as the major sanctioning body's 154lbs title holder.

BoxingScene reports that the WBA will allow Crawford to enter the ring as its 154lbs titleholder and he will be introduced as such at the start of their showdown. But as soon as the opening bell sounds, he will be relieved of the belt, regardless of the fight's outcome, reports All Out Fighting.

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With Crawford's next fight taking place at super middleweight, this means that Abass Baraou will be elevated to full world champion. Baraou won the interim title this month after defeating Yoenis Tellez, and will now be required to defend his belt against Jermell Charlo.

Ironically, Charlo's previous bout was against Alvarez and was fought under identical title conditions to Crawford's situation. Charlo was permitted to enter fight night as the undisputed 154lbs champion but was instantly stripped of his WBO belt once the opening bell rang. 'Saul' went on to outpoint the American back in 2023. The 35-year-old hasn't competed since that encounter, but could find himself thrust straight into a championship bout should the Baraou clash proceed as apparently scheduled.

Should Crawford pull off a career-defining triumph over 'Saul,' he would become the first male boxer to claim undisputed titles across three weight divisions in the four-belt era. He previously dominated at super lightweight and welterweight. Whilst 'Saul' enters as the bookmakers' favourite for the showdown, one figure backing 'Bud' is Amir Khan.

The former world titleholder notably faced both men and was swift to share his assessment of the contest. "Both fighters are great, they're both great at what they do," Khan told Sky Sports. "When I fought Canelo, you know, he was easier to hit. He had slow feet but fast hands. I never expected him to have the fast hands he had, and obviously, he caught me. He has a lot of power, so that's one thing Crawford has to worry about, the size and the power.

"But then again, I saw a picture of Crawford where he was weighing around 180 lbs, looked strong, looked big, and I think he holds the weight well. And he's another fighter that's very strong, very powerful, so you know what? I do lean more towards Crawford in this fight, because he's the more fresher fighter. He's not been in too many wars like Canelo's been in. But this is top-level boxing, this is, so I don't know who's going to win. But I do lean more towards Crawford."

When is Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford?

As previously mentioned, the 12 round super-middleweight championship bout is scheduled for Saturday, September 13. The preliminary card is anticipated to commence at approximately midnight UK time - with the headline act ring entrances expected around 4am UK time. Precise timings will be confirmed later.

The event will be available to stream on Netflix in both the UK and the US. Viewers can register for Netflix starting at £4.99 monthly with advertisements ($6.99 US) or £7.99 ($15.49) monthly without adverts. Current subscribers will gain access to the bout without additional charges.