Canelo Names the Two Fights That Still Haunt Him: Crawford and Mayweather

Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez has two unfinished chapters in his career, and he's not shy about admitting it. The Mexican told Ariel Helwani that beyond the Terence Crawford rematch he never got, there's a second fight that still gnaws at him: a do-over with Floyd Mayweather, the man who handed him the first loss of his professional life back in 2013.

Canelo dropped his undisputed super-middleweight crown to Crawford in September 2025, outboxed over 12 rounds by a switch-hitter who then walked away from the sport a few months later at 42-0 (31 KO). That retirement slammed the door on any revenge mission. Crawford leaves boxing with a perfect record and, apparently, with a permanent spot in Canelo's head.

The One That Started It All

The Mayweather loss cuts deeper because of how long it's festered. Canelo was 23 and riding a 42-0-1 record when he met Mayweather, and he got a lesson in speed, accuracy and defense for the trouble, dropping a majority decision. He says he chased the rematch for years afterward, figuring it might land three or four years down the line. It never got close. Mayweather, by his telling, simply had no interest.

That's the pattern with both fights: the door shut before Canelo could knock. Mayweather retired. Crawford retired. Two of the most defining nights of his career, and neither man gave him a second crack.

Rebuild, Round Two

Here's the thing though — the Mayweather defeat didn't derail him. It sharpened him. Canelo turned that 2013 setback into a launchpad, stacking up world titles across four weight classes and becoming the biggest draw the sport has produced this decade. One bad night against an all-time great didn't define him. It arguably built him.

Now he's got a live problem to solve rather than a ghost to chase. Canelo returns in October to face Christian Mbilli, who was bumped up to WBC super-middleweight champion once Crawford vacated by retiring. It's a chance to reclaim a belt and reset the narrative. The Mayweather and Crawford rematches are gone for good, but Mbilli is right in front of him — and that's the fight that actually counts now.