Eminem’s hype, Bud’s bite: Terence Crawford is ready to make history vs. Canelo Alvarez in legacy bout

DETROIT – Boxing fans are rejoicing as the fight we’ve all been waiting for between undisputed champions Canelo Alvarez and Terence (Bud) Crawford is coming in the distant future.

Both men faced off Sunday (May 4) morning for the first time after Alvarez’s (63-2-2, 39 KOs) super middleweight snooze fest title fight vs. William Scull.

Scull ran for 36 minutes, and the highlight of the fight took place when the referee pulled both men together in the center of the ring to tell them to fight.

Alvarez became the undisputed 168-pound champion for the second time in his career via decision in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to regain the IBF title that was stripped from him in 2024 after he declined to face Scull (23-1, 9 KOs).

After the victory, the highly anticipated bout between Alvarez and Crawford, who flew cross country to be in attendance, stepped into the ring after the fight to face off while announcing their Sept. 12, 2025, fight inside Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

After the fight, Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) talked about the future battle and how he felt about it, knowing that it had finally arrived.

“I feel great and I’m feeling blessed, and you know, everything happened for a reason. There’s a reason why I’m here, and in September, I’m going to show the world what greatness looks like,” said Crawford.

Alvarez improved to 10-0 at super middleweight, extending his winning streak to six consecutive fights that have all gone the distance. His last knockout came against Caleb Plant in 2021.

However, Crawford explained why he’d upset the Mexican monster in September.

“Because I’m the best. That’s why everyone is coming to watch on Sept. 12,” Crawford said.

Bud has been out of action since Aug. 4, 2024, when he beat Israil Madrimov unanimously to become champion in his fourth weight division.

For the fight, Crawford collaborated with Eminem to be his hype man and walked him out to the ring for a second time.

They first hooked up when Bud dethroned Errol Spence Jr. in a ninth-round TKO on July 29, 2023, to become the undisputed welterweight champion.

Spence was thoroughly dominated in the hyped-up fight as he tasted the canvas three times, forcing the referee to stop the fight in the ninth round.

The victory updated Crawford’s status as a boxing legend, cementing his first undisputed title in the four-belt era.

--> Michigan legends attend lopsided Crawford-Spence legacy fight in Las Vegas

Bud is a Nebraska native, but he represents Michigan well as Tommy Hearns, who was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2012 and the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 1997, attended the fight in Vegas, which resembled what he did to comedian Martin Lawrence in 1994 in Detroit.

Other Michiganders in attendance were Floyd “Money” Mayweather, who drew jeers from the crowd, Royce Da 5′9, and Eminem, who drew the biggest crowd reaction of the night as he walked Bud to the ring and rapped his inspirational song “Lose Yourself” from the 8 Mile film.

When asked how he got Eminem to walk him out, Bud said it was like throwing a rock into a haystack.

“It was like throwing a rock into a haystack, and he replied,” said Crawford. “I told him to pull up, and he was like, ‘I’m there. You’re one of my favorite fighters.’ That showed a lot of support for me, and that showed what level I’m at in the boxing world.”

Once the pleasantries were over, the brutality kicked in as Crawford beat the truth out of Spence.

Spence was the best pressure fighter in the world, but Crawford proved that he was the best boxer in the world as he floored the then 33-year-old Texas native in the second round.

Crawford, then a 35-year-old, sent Spence to the canvas for the third time in the fight with two knockdowns in the seventh round.

The lopsided onslaught was finally stopped by referee Harvey Dock, who, like everyone in attendance and the millions who watched worldwide, knew enough was enough.

Crawford scored the ninth-round technical knockout in the legacy-defying bout, dethroning Spence of his WBC, WBF, and IBF titles to accompany his WBO belt in the 147-pound division.

In the victory, Bud became the only male to become a two-division undisputed champion in boxing history.

“I told everybody before that the winner out of this fight was going to be No. 1 pound for pound, hands down,” Crawford said. “Errol Spence was ranked No. 4 in the pound-for-pound, and you got Terence Crawford; I was ranked No. 1, so you got two fighters that were in the top five pound-for-pound ratings. How can it not be for the No. 1 pound for pound?”

The build-up to the duel was described as a legacy fight between two undefeated champions, as the four titles in the sport of boxing had been split for the last 60 years.

But Bud’s performance on July 29, 2023, not only unified the titles but also put other boxers, either in the 147-pound weight class or the 154-pound weight class, on notice, as he was there to stay for a very long time.

Since losing to Dmitry Bivol in May 2022, Alvarez has spent the past three years raking in the cash while fighting fearful opponents and leaving fans yearning for more.

He received a pass for fighting an aging Gennadiy “GGG” Golovkin two years too late, followed by a homecoming bout against John Ryder.

After that, the expectation was that he would face a deserving David (The Mexican Monster) Benavidez, the WBC mandatory challenger.

But Alvarez opted for fights with an undersized and overmatched Jermell Charlo and undeserving opponents Jaime Munguia and Edgar Berlanga.

On May 3, Scull, like the opponents mentioned above, was overmatched and undersized and was in the ring to gain a massive payday.

But he was an undefeated champion and an IBF mandatory opponent for Alvarez, who needed the fight to become undisputed again to set up the Crawford fight.

Alvarez was expected to fight Benavidez but didn’t want that fight instead, after signing a four-fight deal with Riyadh Season, paying him $400 million for five fights, with the first coming against Scull.

Unlike his previous fights, Alvarez, who has the size advantage, won’t have a cakewalk against Bud.

Crawford is climbing up two weight classes to challenge Alvarez, but unlike his previous opponents, Bud is one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in this generation.

He has a switch-handed mean streak that will not allow Alvarez to cruise to another massive payday after another easy decision.

Alvarez will have to fight a real opponent to retain his crown as the best fighter in the world.

After 66 fights, he can expect a tough fight with Crawford, which will differ from his recent opponents.

Yes, his résumé is stacked with some of boxing’s biggest names, like Mayweather and Bivol, but at this stage of his career, he’s never seen a man like Bud before.

If he comes into the fight with the same mindset as he did against his latest opponents, he is in for a rude awakening on Sept. 12, 2025.