Each passing New Year affords us the chance to reflect and also ponder the possibilities that could lie ahead for the next 365 days.
Therefore, the opening bell of 2025 comes equipped with the opportunity to lay down a New Year’s Resolution. So on behalf of boxing and the fights we’d like to see, DAZN will be presenting one New Year’s Resolution for each of the first 10 days of 2025, detailing promises of sweet science self-improvement on how the sport can grow with bouts that would benefit fans.
Here's Day 1 of DAZN's 10 New Year’s Resolutions for boxing and we begin with a splash in what could be one of the biggest fights the sweet science has ever seen.
Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford to decide the generation's best
Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing
Terence Crawford was weeks removed from dispatching Errol Spence in a brilliant, yet brutal, boxing masterclass in July 2023. The magnificent performance crowned “Bud” the first man to reach undisputed glory in two different weight classes (super lightweight and welterweight) in boxing’s modern four-belt era, taking the mantle of being the greatest 147-pounder of this generation with it. (Naoya Inoue, as a bantamweight and super bantamweight, and Oleksandr Usyk, at cruiserweight and heavyweight, later joined him in that hallowed hall as undisputed world champions in two different divisions, while Claressa Shields accomplished the feat amongst the women before all of them back in May 2021).
Days after producing the signature, legacy-defining fight of his illustrious career, Crawford sat across from Joe Rogan and moved his own goal post even further on daring to be greater.
While having made it clear days prior that he’d be willing to fight Canelo Alvarez, the Omaha, Nebraska native upped the ante by telling Rogan that he’d jump over two weight classes to clash with the Mexican superstar at super middleweight in attempt to become the only boxer in the sport’s history to be undisputed in three different divisions.
In the time that followed, Crawford lobbied for the fight over the remainder of 2023 and into 2024. Canelo responded with everything from suggesting there’s no reward for beating the smaller man moving up in weight to driving the price up with a requested purse of an astounding $150 million.
Unable to make the bout happen, Crawford moved up to 154 pounds and defeated Israil Madrimov in a hard-fought unanimous decision to become the WBA junior middleweight world champion and interim WBO titleholder in his sole ring appearance of 2024.
At 37 years old with a pristine 41-0 record (31 knockouts), Crawford can stare down a 2025 in which he aggressively goes after the other titleholders at 154 pounds in Sebastian Fundora (WBC/WBO champion) and Bakhram Murtazaliev (IBF champ).
Or he could shake up the sport once again by moving up in weight by 14 pounds to take on Canelo.
Alvarez currently holds three of the four belts at 168 pounds. But whether the fight happens at 168 or a catchweight, the mega bout would decide the best pound-for-pound champion of this generation.
With each man being a long standard of excellence, Canelo vs. Crawford would be the padlock on an already iron-clad legacy.
His Excellency Turki Alalshikh dismissed the fight in August, though that can change if both parties are willing to do it for the right price in a bout that would electrify fight fans.
The remaining framework can be built, bringing this Canelo vs. Crawford dream bout New Year’s Resolution to fruition in 2025.