Canelo Alvarez has only one condition: chart out future fights, narrow down his opponents, and stage meetings to put pen to paper. He wants respect for his decision, and if he fights within the mix, he wants promoters to let him focus on it. But when you are the face of boxing and everyone is in a race for your signature, things don’t go as you expect them to. The same is transpiring with his hypothetical fight with Terence Crawford.

Alvarez, 34, is booked to fight a young and exciting hot prospect, Edgar Berlanga, this September 14. But the rumors of a potential fight with ‘Bud,’ staged by HE Turki Alalshikh, have pushed that fight into the background. That’s not it. The promoters involved in the event want him to iron out details and put the fight into motion already. However, the Mexican champion doesn’t work that way, especially for a fight he feels someone else deserves.

Alvarez, at 61-2-2, in a conversation with PPV.com, pointed out that he didn’t demand the Crawford fight. He said, “I’m not asking for that fight. I think Teofimo Lopez deserves it more than me. My response to Turki is this – yesterday they text me to talk about the Crawford fight in February and I said, ‘I’m not gonna talk about any other fight. I’m focused 100% on this [Edgar Berlanga] fight.’ I respect Turki. But if he wants to work with me, it needs to be my way.”

Lopez, 27, and Crawford, 36, have a brewing animosity where the super lightweight champion wants to go against Crawford. Lopez’s prodigious skills on the mic, the allure of two fighters with gold wrapped around their waists fighting it out, and the proximity of their weight classes make it a compelling fight. Contrarily, there is doubt about Crawford, at 41-0, moving up two divisions and challenging Alvarez at 168.

So, things are already difficult to plan, as the newly crowned WBA super welterweight champion has to jump two divisions and prepare for it accordingly. Alvarez, throwing water on it for the time being, has put the highly anticipated fight on hold. It has affected HE Turki Alalshikh’s plans, and therefore, the latter is ready to move ahead without Alvarez now.

HE Turki Alalshikh abandons Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford project

The 43-year-old turned to his X handle and disclosed his plans for the coming years. Making a shocking move, he dropped Alvarez out of his grand scheme but reiterated his desire to focus on Crawford and other bigger fights in the US market. His post read, “I decided to disregard the Canelo fight, as I don’t want it anymore. Instead, I will be focusing for the US market with bigger fights, especially for the legend Crawford.”

It remains to be seen how it affects Crawford’s plans, as he is aging rapidly and has only a couple of fights left in him. Will the Omaha native chase other champions at 154 and target the undisputed title, or pick a legacy fight with someone like Alvarez? The second one looks a bit murky now.

What do you make of these comments by Canelo Alvarez about a potential fight with Terence Crawford? Do you believe a fight between them was just a pipe dream? Let us know in the comments below.