Canelo weighs final career path after Crawford loss and elbow surgery

Canelo Alvarez faces a pivotal decision about the final phase of his career after his unanimous-decision loss to Terence Crawford on September 13 at Allegiant Stadium and a planned elbow operation that will keep him out of the ring for months. The 35-year-old former undisputed champion has two fights left on a multibout Riyadh Season contract, but the surgery and extended recovery likely push any comeback into spring or summer 2026, opening a wide range of sporting and commercial options.

Alvarez is scheduled to have a procedure later this month to address a longstanding elbow issue. Boxing writer Dan Rafael has said the cleanup required could put Alvarez on the shelf for a couple of months and that a February return would be aggressive. With rehabilitation and a cautious approach expected, sources close to Alvarez see a return in the second or third quarter of 2026 as more realistic.

The defeat to Crawford has intensified debate about Alvarez’s durability and future direction. Calvin Ford, the trainer for Gervonta Davis, said he had predicted Alvarez would "get old in the ring" against Crawford and suggested Crawford could have stopped Alvarez earlier. Angel Garcia, a longtime...