Canelo to Undergo Elbow Surgery, Out Until Mid‑2026

Saul “Canelo” Alvarez will undergo elbow surgery after fighting the injury in his Sept. 13 loss to Terence Crawford and is expected to be sidelined until the second or third quarter of 2026. Reports say he will need at least two months of recovery after the procedure, expected to take place in San Diego, followed by roughly 12–15 weeks before resuming full training, pushing his next fight into mid‑to‑late 2026. The surgery cancels a planned February return in Riyadh that would have been the third bout of his four‑fight deal with Turki Alalshikh, and Alalshikh is reportedly assembling an alternate February supercard that has eyed names such as David Benavidez and Devin Haney. Potential opponents for Alvarez on his return include a rematch with Crawford or fighters like Hamzah Sheeraz, Chris Eubank Jr., Christian Mbilli and Dmitry Bivol. Alvarez, 35, lost his undisputed super‑middleweight titles to Crawford — the third defeat of his pro career — and if his comeback slips to Q3 he may fight only once in 2026 under his current contract.