Former undisputed super middleweight champion Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez (63-3-2, 39 KOs) was aiming to return to the ring in February
Former undisputed super middleweight champion Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez (63-3-2, 39 KOs) was aiming to return to the ring in February 2026, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. However, those plans have hit a setback, after Ring Magazine’s Mike Coppinger revealed that he will require elbow surgery.
As a result, the native of Guadalajara, Mexico is now likely to sit out until middle to late next year.
“Canelo Álvarez obviously coming off of that tough loss to Terence Crawford earlier this month,” said Coppinger, during a segment of Inside The Ring. “I’m told that he’s going to have elbow surgery. He was set to return in February, in Riyadh. For the third fight of that deal. That fight is now gonna be delayed until to Q2, Q3 of 2026.”
Canelo Alvarez is set to undergo elbow surgery, with his return to the ring expected to be in mid to late 2026, @MikeCoppinger has revealed.#InsideTheRing LIVE NOW exclusively on DAZN 📺 pic.twitter.com/W4WvhEDdxR
— InsideRingShow (@InsideRingShow) September 29, 2025
“Canelo” is coming off a unanimous decision loss against Terence Crawford for the undisputed super middleweight championship on Sept. 13. In an underwhelming performance, he had a difficult time solving Crawford, behind his footwork and precise combinations.
It was Álvarez’s first defeat since a unanimous decision loss against Dmitry Bivol in May 2022. Alvarez captured the 168-pound undisputed championship for the first time, with an eleventh-round TKO win against then-IBF super middleweight champion Caleb Plant in November 2021. He was the first boxer in history to become the undisputed champion at super middleweight.
Álvarez made four successful defenses in his first reign as the 168-pound undisputed champion, before he was stripped of the IBF title in July 2024. He defeated William Scull for the IBF title by unanimous decision in March, as he became a two-time undisputed super middleweight champion.
His second reign was cut short, after he was dethroned by Crawford in his first defense for a huge upset. The four-division champion has two fights remaining in a four-fight deal he signed with chairman of the General Entertainment Authority, Turki Alalshikh, in February.
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