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How Canelo Alvarez Injury Impacts Terence Crawford Rematch

Originally posted on KO on SI | By Grant Young | Last updated Sep 30, 2025 8:31 PM ET

On September 29, news broke that Canelo Alvarez will need elbow surgery.

This news arrived a bit over two weeks after his iconic fight against Terence Crawford, in which Canelo lost his undisputed super middleweight belts to Crawford due to a unanimous decision defeat.

It's currently unclear whether Canelo was dealing with this elbow injury heading into the fight or whether it was the result of something that happened during the 12 rounds. But typically, injuries occur during training camp leading up to the fight, so one would probably assume this elbow issue was something Canelo had been dealing with before he stepped into the ring.

Mike Coppinger of The Ring provided an update on how this injury impacts Canelo's future on September 29, saying, "Canelo was set to return in February, in Riyadh, for the third fight of [his four-fight deal with Turki Alalshikh]. That fight is not going to be delayed until Q2 or Q3 of 2026, so Canelo is going to have the surgery, and then he'll come back."

Canelo Alvarez’s return was planned for February in Riyadh but @Turki_alalshikh tells me he now needs elbow surgery following his loss to Terence Crawford. Alvarez’s return now planned for the second or third quarter of 2026. New Inside the Ring:pic.twitter.com/WNvn9ByZsv
— Mike Coppinger (@MikeCoppinger) September 29, 2025

Does Canelo's Injury Impact Potential Terence Crawford Rematch?

There was no indication about who Canelo was supposed to be fighting in February, as this apparently hasn't been figured out yet (or at least not publicly disclosed). However, most believe that the most likely fight for him right now is to rematch Crawford, if only because of how successful and lucrative their first bout was.

The good news is that Crawford is probably in no rush to return to the ring. His trainer, Brian "BoMac" McIntyre, said that Crawford is going to take the rest of the year off to recover and spend time with his family when speaking with Fight Hub TV during Crawford's victory parade in Omaha, Nebraska, on September 27.

What's more, Crawford has only fought once in a calendar year for every year since 2019. And every single one of those fights each year has taken place in August or later, with the majority being in November or December.

All of this is to say that Canelo's injury and ensuing surgery will have no impact on him rematching Crawford. If anything, it's going to make it so their timelines are more in sync with each other if they decide to run it back.

While no fighter ever enters a bout fully healthy, perhaps this elbow injury suggests Canelo wasn't at full strength against Crawford. Regardless, the time off to rest and recover would do both guys well if they were to rematch in 2026.

This article first appeared on KO on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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