The decade’s greatest megafight has come and gone, and 37-year-old Terence “Bud” Crawford of Omaha, Nebraska, defeated 35-year-old Saul “Canelo” Alvarez of Guadalajara, Mexico, on Saturday night at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas to claim the undisputed super-middleweight world championship in a bout watched by an estimated 41 million people on the global streaming giant Netflix.
Now what?
If bettors believe there will be a rematch, they can already place a bet on the hypothetical fight. The online sports book BetOnline has posted odds for a prospective second Alvarez-Crawford fight, with the condition that the event must take place before the end of 2026 for a bet to count.
Odds For a Canelo vs. Crawford Rematch
Crawford, not too surprisingly given his technically dominant performance Saturday, opens as the favorite, with a money line of -200. In other words, a bettor would need to wager $200 to make a profit of $100 on a repeat Crawford victory.
Underdog Alvarez has been given odds of +170, meaning that a bet of $100 pays off a total of $270, that is, a profit of $170.
The sports book, according to a report by SB Nation, is also taking bets on whether or not there will be a rematch at all.
Bettors who believe that a rematch is inevitable can get favorable odds of -200, while a “no” bet has +150 money line odds, according to the SB Nation report. Again, for a “yes” bet to pay off, the fight must take place before next year is out.
Is a Rematch a Real Possibility?
So, will a second fight happen?
Alvarez is generally considered, if not the greatest Mexican boxer of all time — that honor must surely go to the legendary Julio Cesar Chavez — then definitely in the conversation. But he has now failed the two toughest tests of his 68-fight, 20-year career, losing to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2013 and now Crawford 12 years later.
There seems to be nowhere left for “Canelo” to go to reach new heights in securing his legacy.
As for Crawford, the only opponent who could come close to equaling the challenge of the Alavarez fight for Crawford appears to be the undefeated (30-0, 24 KOs) light heavyweight champion David Benavidez.
The 28-year-old from Phoenix, Arizona, fought the first 28 bouts of his career at the super middleweight 168 pound limit, but at 175 pounds not only is he heavier than Crawford — he would need to return to 168 to make the fight — but at 6-foot-2 has five inches of height on Crawford as well.
In any case, Crawford’s trainer Brian “BoMac” McIntyre was emphatic about the chances of a Benavidez matchup.
“No. We ain’t doing that fight. No,” he said in an interview Sunday, after his fighter had won a unanimous decision from Alvarez.
Rematch Only Next Fight That Makes Sense
That leaves one possibility, other than the seemingly unlikely event of retirement for one or both fighters — a rematch.
Crawford was asked about the possibility of meeting Alvarez in the ring for a return match and gave a noncommital response.
“I don’t know, we shall see,” Crawford said in an ESPN interview earlier this week. “I don’t know, you know, right now I’m talking with my team. I’m only two days fresh from off of a fight. I’m just gonna go home and relax. I got a birthday in two weeks and I’m just gonna enjoy my victory for now.”
Canelo vs. Crawford Rematch: Opening Betting Odds Released