History.
It’s a simple term that takes seven letters to spell, fewer than 10 seconds to write, and only a moment to say, but years upon years to create. Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Terence Crawford have spent a combined 37 years rising through the ranks, grinding out victories against contenders, and racking up world titles en route to this moment.
On Saturday, September 13, 2025, Crawford and Alvarez will do something that Floyd Mayweather Jr., Manny Pacquiao, Andre Ward, and other legends of the modern era have been unable to do — compete for an undisputed world title in a stadium full of more than 70,000 screaming fans in Las Vegas. Both men will walk away with a career-high payday for their efforts to bring the sport of boxing to the forefront of North American pop culture, but that’s not why either one of them took this fight.
“This fight is about cementing my place in history,” Crawford told BBC Sport.
The phrase “daring to be great” is often used when a fighter takes a riskier-than-advised fight against a respected, aggressive foe, but what the Omaha native is attempting to do goes far beyond, rivaling the likes of Sugar Ray Leonard and Sugar Ray Robinson. Like the great welterweights of generations past, the pound-for-pound pugilist, he has accomplished seemingly all there is to accomplish. He is the first man to win undisputed titles in two weight classes during the four-belt era. He is the first man (and to date, the only) to beat former pound-for-pound unified champion Errol Spence Jr. He’s never met a challenge that he wasn’t ready to tackle, and tonight, things will be no different. A win? He joins the likes of Leonard, Roy Jones Jr., Oleksandr Usyk, and even his opponent, Canelo Alvarez, on the short list of all-time greats who have jumped up multiple weight classes in search of a world title.
Six months after he beat Daniel Jacobs to defend his unified middleweight title, Canelo Alvarez jumped up 15 pounds and two weight classes to challenge and eventually dethrone light heavyweight titleholder Sergey Kovalev. Approximately six years later, he finds himself attempting to defend his title against another champion, jumping up 14 pounds in weight. However, as he will remind any doubters, Alvarez is not the 36-year-old Kovalev that he challenged back in 2019. Following a series of performances against Jaime Munguia, Edgar Berlanga, and Williams Scull that have left fans wanting more, the champion from Guadalajara is ready to prove that he hasn’t lost a step. In fact, his trainer, Eddy Reynoso, believes the version of Alvarez that steps in the ring tonight may be the best yet.
“He still has it, and on Saturday we are going to show it by knockout,” said Reynoso, per The Ring Magazine. “This is going to be the best Canelo we have seen in his 20-year career. We’re going to show it.”
The time for talking has passed. The time for showing, as Reynoso mentioned, is now. Allegiant Stadium is full, Netflix is on, and Def Pen will be providing live updates from the main card throughout the night.
Mohammed Alakel (5-0, 1 KOs) Travis Crawford (7-4, 2 KOs)
Rounds: Ten
Division: Super Featherweight
Decision: Alakel def. Crawford (UD, 10 — 99-91, 98-92, 99-91)
Def Pen Unofficial Scorecard: Alakel def. Crawford (99-91)
Post-Fight Commentary: Mohammed Alakel improves to 6-0 with a near shutout win against a game Travis Crawford. On the biggest stage boxing has had in years, Alakel did not appear shaken up by the bright lights or the doggedness of an opponent looking to get one last win before enlisting in the army. Instead, he looked fast, rangy and promising. However, there were points throughout the fight, especially in the final two rounds, in which Crawford was able to pressure Alakel and land a few shots that appeared to catch Alakel’s attention. In the end, Alakel walks away with a shiner under the eye, a list of things he can improve for his next outing and above all else, a win on the main card in front of millions worldwide.
Christian Mbilli (29-0, 24 KOs) v. Lester Martinez (19-0, 16 KOs)
Rounds: Ten
Division: Super Middleweight
Decision: Mbilli d. Martinez (D, 10— 93-97, 96-94, 95-95)
Def Pen Unofficial Scorecard: Martinez def. Mbilli (96-94)
Post-Fight Commentary: Many had high expectations for Christian Mbilli and Lester Martinez’s 10-round super middleweight clash, but they may have exceeded them. In all-action bout, the two fought to a draw while showcasing traits that will make them players in the title picture. Mbilli showed and proved that he has a gas tank that is rarely empty or even close to it. For seven, nearly eight, rounds, he came at Martinez as if he was a machine, throwing consistently with mean intentions. However, Martinez’s awkward style, subtle adjustments and wrecking ball power proved that the Guatemalan fighter is worthy of the hype associated with his name. While a draw isn’t what either fighter wanted, it does little to take their names out of talks for big fights in the future.
Callum Walsh (14-0, 11 KOs) v. Fernando Vargas Jr. (17-0, 15 KOs)
Rounds: Twelve
Division: Super Welterweight
Decision: Walsh def. Vargas Jr. (UD, 10 — 100-90, 99-91, 99-91)
Def Pen Unofficial Scorecard: Walsh def. Vargas Jr. (97-93)
Post-Fight Commentary: Callum Walsh proved to be the better man on fight, out landing and beating Vargas Jr. to the punch repeatedly. However, Vargas Jr. proved to be tougher than Walsh expected at moments, visibly frustrating the unbeaten super welterweight contender. With all of that said, neither Vargas Jr. nor Walsh, as unbeaten prospects, showed a level that would allow them to compete with the likes of Sebastian Fundora, Vergil Ortiz Jr. and Jaron “Boots” Ennis. Moving forward, it will be interesting to see how Vargas Jr. and Walsh are positioned heading into the prime years of their careers.
Saul “Canelo” Àlvarez (62-2-2, 39 KOs) v. Terence “Bud” Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs)
Rounds: Twelve
Division: Super Middleweight
Decision: Crawford def. Àlvarez (UD, 12 — 116-112, 115-113, 116-112)
Def Pen Unofficial Scorecard: Crawford def. Alvarez (116-112)
Post-Fight Commentary: TBD
