The Mexican super middleweight star, 35, was defeated by Bud, 38, in September and has been out of the ring recovering from an elbow injury since then, but according to TV Azteca, Canelo has now said he will be seeking vengeance against Crawford next year.

The Mexican outlet said: “Before the end of 2025, Canelo Alvarez was on a visit to TV Azteca in his home and talked about the plans for the next year, where he will embark on different sports projects.

“In addition, he reiterated that his priority above the ring is the rematch against Terence Crawford, who is already negotiating, and wants to accommodate the place.”

After sustaining an elbow injury in the Crawford fight that forced him out of the ring, Canelo has been recovering from the surgery, and had reportedly been looking at either Q2 or Q3 of 2026 - between April and September next year - for a potential return.

It had been theorised Canelo may favour his returning fight for either Cinco de Mayo - May 5 - or Mexican Independence Day, September 16, 2026.

Following his bout with Crawford - which he lost via unanimous decision - Canelo vowed he would not be throwing in the towel and would be returning to the ring at some point next year.

Taking to Instagram, he wrote: “Twenty years in, I still feel the same fire I had when I first stepped into the ring.

“Every victory and every challenge has made me who I am today. I'm deeply grateful to my family, fans, and to Mexico - you've been my strength and my inspiration since day one.”

While Canelo is seemingly eyeing another fight with Crawford, Bud previously said he intended to move down a weight class to the middleweight division for his next bout.

He said: “I’m going to sit down with my team, and we are going to discuss what is next in the future for Terence Crawford. Who knows? I might go down to 160lbs.”

Crawford’s win against Canelo had made Bud one of the most successful boxers of the four-belt era, having become the undisputed champion in three weight classes.