Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez has admitted that not securing a contractual rematch clause was his biggest mistake following his September 2025 loss to Terence Crawford.
The Mexican superstar lost his undisputed super middleweight title when Crawford moved up in weight and defeated him in Las Vegas.
Alvarez cited mental distractions during fight week as a key factor in his performance. He said outside issues affected his preparation and focus.
'I feel great looking back on the fight. It's already happened — I cannot control it,' Alvarez said.
'I know what I did wrong. I did everything good in the training camp, but my mind wasn't there.'
He added: 'A lot of things happened in the fight week, so sometimes we are going out of bases — not focused on the fight, or focused on boxing.'
Alvarez stressed that physical readiness alone was not enough.
'You can be physically ready, but if your mind is not there, it's not the same,' he said.
Despite the loss, Alvarez said Crawford's skill level did not surprise him. 'I never doubted how good he is.
He is a very good fighter, he's very intelligent — he has everything,' Alvarez said.
Rematch Clause Omitted
Alvarez expressed regret over the contract negotiations.
'It was some mistake on my side to not sign for a rematch, because the champion always needs to insert a rematch clause and I didn't, for some reason,' he said.
He also expressed surprise at Crawford's decision to retire shortly after the fight. 'As a fighter, we want a rematch, right?
We want to show again. And I always did good in my rematches.
It surprised me a lot,' Alvarez said.
Alvarez hopes a rematch can still happen. 'I hope the rematch can happen.
If not, it's fine, we need to move forward,' he said.
Crawford Denies Rematch Offers
Terence Crawford, who retired in December 2025, has denied rumors that organizer Turki Alalshikh offered him a large sum for a rematch.
'The rumors about Turki offering Terence Crawford a huge bag for a rematch against Canelo are not true,' Crawford said.
Crawford confirmed that no formal discussions for a second fight took place. 'We ain't talked about no fights.
No, nothing,' he said.
He added that if a rematch clause had been in the contract, he would have honored it. 'There was no rematch clause.
If the rematch clause was in the contract then I would have honoured that,' Crawford said.
Alvarez is scheduled to face WBC champion Christian Mbilli on October 31, 2026.
