Canelo Alvarez was beaten for just the third time in 68 fights last year, surrendering his undisputed super-middleweight title to Terence Crawford. It is a defeat that he will not get the chance to avenge.

A few months on from that career-defining victory, Crawford announced his retirement from the sport of boxing, exiting with his undefeated record in tact and as a five-weight world champion.

Speaking on the Mr Verzace podcast, Canelo said that he has now accepted ‘Bud’s decision to retire, but will always feel that a rematch was deserved.

“Of course. I always give him his credit, but we need to run it back. After the fight I said we need to run back this fight because I don’t feel the way I really want. I need to make this fight happen again, and it’s gonna be different. I think for him to deserve all the credit, he needs to give me the rematch. But he decided to retire and we need to accept that and move forward … I think the rematch would be perfect for boxing, but it is what it is.”

With ‘Bud’ showing no signs of making a u-turn on his decision to hang up the gloves, Canelo was asked about another potential avenue of avenging a defeat – Dmitry Bivol.

“Why not? We’ll see in the future. If it makes sense, why not? Like I say, I always like a challenge.”

Bivol has recently said that he is open to a return fight with the Mexican icon after outpointing him back in 2022. However, he also has eyes on a trilogy fight with Artur Beterbiev, an intriguing clash of styles against Davis Benavidez and a move up to cruiserweight.

Alvarez is set to return this September in Saudi Arabia, with an opponent to be announced in due course.

Nick Ball puts his WBA Featherweight World title on the line against Brandon Figueroa tonight in Liverpool, looking to make the fourth successful defence of the belt in front of a hometown crowd.

Ball is one of six British male world champions, but he stood alone at one stage with the UK on his back. Though he is now joined by Dalton Smith, Lewis Crocker, Josh Kelly, Jazza Dickens and Fabio Wardley, the relentless puncher from Liverpool still welcomes the pressure at the top.

He has, as the event is billed, a tall task in Figueroa, who towers over the champion by seven inches and looks to spoil tonight’s party in The Pool. Boxing News brings you the undercard results, summaries and a live scorecard for the headline bout.

Undercard results

Brad Strand vs Ruben Lezama Gonzalez — Super bantamweight

Result: Strand RTD R3. Methodical from Brad Strand from the first bell. He stops his man in the third, taking the wind out of him with a body shot and follow up with a barrage of punches that forced Gonzalez’ corner to throw in the towel.

Hassan Ishaq vs Leonardo Baez — Featherweight

Result: – Ishaq TKO R3. Straightforward for Ishaq, who scores his third stoppage win in three fights. He looked sharp and powerful in there, though Baez really wasn’t up to much.

Andrew Cain vs Alejandro Gonzalez — Bantamweight

Result: Cain TKO R9. A well-matched affair. Gonzalez scored two body shot knockdowns in the eighth. Cain did well to come back out in the ninth, never mind score a knockdown of his own in the first minute. He refused to relent and put the Mexican down for a second time. Gonzalez, with a burst eye, walked towards the corner during the count and saw it waved off by by referee Mark Gates. An impressive win for Cain, who deserves the world title shot that should come off the back of it.

Jack Turner vs Juan Carlos Martinez Urbina — Super flyweight

Result: Turner RTD R3. Jack Turner scores his 13th stoppage in 14 fights. It was all ‘El Terrier’, who scored a knockdown in the first and beat the fight out of Urbina – who had a point off in the third for consistent holding – leading his corner to stop the fight after the third. On to bigger things for KO artist Turner, who is a ruthless addition to the lower weight classes.

Nick Ball vs Brandon Figueroa scorecard and result

This is a Boxing News live scorecard and not the official score from the judges.

Result: Figueroa TKO R12. A thrilling fight from start to finish, and a tough one to score. Ball’s trademark style was as eye-catching as always, but Figueroa peppered away at the body and worked at a steadier pace. The scorecards may have been all over the place had it come to it, but the challenger landed a thunderous left hook during an exchange in the final round and put the champion down. Ball rose to his feet and fought on, but another few well-placed shots and he was knocked over again and through the ropes. A good stoppage from referee Steve Gray. Heartbreak for Ball, elation for three-time world champion Figueroa and a real win for boxing fans.

Jamie George felt England delivered an explosive start to the Guinness Six Nations after sweeping aside Wales 48-7 in a victory that sets-up their pivotal trip to Murrayfield.

Henry Arundell, making his first start since the 2023 World Cup, ran in a first-half hat-trick at Allianz Stadium while Ben Earl, Tom Roebuck and Tommy Freeman also crossed, with a penalty try completing the rout.

Next up are a Scotland side reeling from their 18-15 defeat by Italy as England search for their first win in Edinburgh since 2020.

“Regardless of who we were playing next, it’s a brilliant platform for us to kick on from,” said George, who led the team after regular captain Maro Itoje was picked on the bench.

“We wanted to start with a bang and we did that, especially the way we started the game. The intensity that we played with – that looks like the sort of team that we want to be.

“It’s going to be about seeing how far we can push it because we know what a big test it will be up at Murrayfield next week.

“There’s just this appetite and desire for this team to be as good as we possibly can be and to get better. We felt that in how competitive training has been.

“For us then to go out and execute the way that we did is so pleasing because we looked like a team that were cohesive.

“Given that it’s the first game of the tournament, that’s pretty impressive.”

England’s third biggest win against Wales was sealed despite a lack of fluency in the second half having entered the interval 29-0 ahead on the back of a clinical 40 minutes brilliantly orchestrated by George Ford.

Head coach Steve Borthwick said: “Defensively we were excellent. We know Wales have got so many dangerous players and pace out wide and we shut them down really well.

“Our kicking game was good and the set-piece did a good job, but there’s plenty of room for improvement.

“What is really pleasing is we created loads of opportunities and we can get better at converting those.

“Especially in that second half, we didn’t convert the opportunities in the manner I would like us to. There is plenty for us to go and work on.”

Wales captain Dewi Lake gave an honest assessment of his team’s 12 consecutive loss in the Six Nations with the first half especially harrowing for Welsh fans.

“We let ourselves down and let people down. We spoke all week about what we were going to produce and we didn’t do it,” Lake said.

“There’s no other way to say it. We’re massively disappointed with what we put on the field.”

Wales host France next Sunday and Lake added: “We know we’re going to be better next weekend.

“We’ve spoken a lot about wanting to excite a nation. We didn’t do it against England. We’ve got another four games in this tournament and we’ll make sure we do it next week.”

Pep Guardiola has revealed he felt an immediate connection with his Manchester City assistant Pep Lijnders – but did plenty of research with former Liverpool players before hiring Jurgen Klopp’s long-time assistant manager.

Lijnders returns to Anfield on Sunday but by Guardiola’s side as part of City’s coaching team after taking a job at the Etihad Stadium last summer.

And Guardiola said he was an admirer of the work Lijnders and Klopp did together at Liverpool as he said he did his due diligence before hiring the Dutchman.

He said: “I had a lot of info from other people about him who had been trained or managed by him at Liverpool. I needed to refresh myself first with new people who have incredible knowledge about the game and the Premier League and I love a lot many things that he did with Jurgen at Liverpool. We talked one day, I think we felt connected immediately. I am incredibly lucky that since the first day I started as a manager [with] all my backroom staff and close people and Pep is one of them.”

Guardiola gave an insight into what Lijnders, a former RB Salzburg manager, has added, saying: “Methodology of training sessions and vision of part of the game and the freedom to say what we should do, continually talking about what could be better in that way with the player and other ones and one system or the other.

“That is the funny part of our game, imagining what we can do, what is going to happen, and confronting with opinions for people that you truly believe are incredibly well prepared for their business.”

Lijnders worked with many of the current Liverpool players, though Guardiola feels he can offer less insight into the head coach after Klopp stood down in 2024.

“It would have been easier if Jurgen was the manager there, because he has not been with Arne [Slot],” Guardiola said. “They play a little bit different but at the end the quality remains.”