Terence Crawford would have been open to rematching Canelo Alvarez but, due to their original contract, a second encounter was firmly “off the table”.
The pair collided for Canelo’s undisputed crown last September, with ‘Bud’ securing a unanimous decision victory after moving up two weight classes.
Due to the size disparity, many considered Crawford a clear underdog against the Mexican, who had remained unbeaten since losing to Dmitry Bivol in 2022.
As it happened, though, Crawford managed to dethrone the long-reigning super-middleweight king and, in doing so, became a three-division undisputed champion.
The American then announced his retirement a few months later, despite rumours of an immediate rematch between the two future Hall of Famers.
There was also talk of a potential clash with Janibek Alimkhanuly which, at the time, would have offered Crawford the chance to become a six-division world champion.
Regarding Canelo, the 38-year-old told The Breakfast Club that he would only have fought him again if there had been a rematch clause in the contract
“Canelo [rematch] was off the table. There was no rematch clause. If the rematch clause was in the contract then I would have honoured that.”
Crawford went on to admit that he was intrigued by a move to middleweight, but only if it involved an undisputed showdown.
This plan was scuppered, however, after Alimkhanuly, the then-IBF and WBO champion, failed a doping test ahead of his three-belt unification match with Erislandy Lara.
If the winner of Alimkhanuly-Lara had faced WBC champion Carlos Adames, then perhaps Crawford would have considered remaining in the sport.
