Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez will fight fellow undisputed world champion Terence Crawford in Las Vegas on September 13, it has been confirmed.
The bout pitting the two undisputed world champions represents the first boxing collaboration between Saudi powerbroker Turki Alalshikh and UFC boss Dana White, with Canelo’s undisputed super middleweight title up for grabs, with the fight being broadcast live on the Netflix streaming platform.
Alalshikh, the chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, described the long-anticipated bout as being the ‘Fight of the Century,’ while his promotional partner Dana White said in a statement that the bout comes as part of their efforts to promote some of the biggest clashes that the sport has to offer.
“Turki wants to make the biggest fights that the fans want to see in boxing and this is right up my alley,” White said. “Are you kidding me that the first boxing fight I’m going to get to promote is Canelo versus Crawford? It’s literally a once-in-a-lifetime fight.”
Canelo-Crawford represents White’s first firm steps into boxing promotion — a move which has been years in the making, and which appeared at one point dead in the water after the UFC CEO bemoaned promotional difficulties in the sport.
Mexican icon Canelo will come into the fight holding all the major titles in the super middleweight division, having defeated the previously unbeaten Cuban William Scull last month in what was his 63rd win from 67 professional fights; a record which also shows two draws and two defeats.
Crawford, by comparison, has a perfect record from his 41 fights thus far. He last competed in August of last year where he scored a unanimous decision win over Israil Madrimov. He has fought on average once per year across the past five years.
“My perfect record speaks for itself,” the American fighter said. “I am the best fighter in the world and no matter the opponent or weight class, I have always come out on top.”
Canelo, meanwhile, said that he is “ready to show once again that I am the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.”
The fight is expected to take place at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium, the home of the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders, and will likely be preceded by a three-date promotional tour in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, New York and Las Vegas.
