Canelo Álvarez V Terence Crawford: All Of Your Pre-fight Questions, Answered

Where and erstwhile is nan fight?

The scheduled 12-round bout will return spot connected Saturday nighttime astatine Allegiant Stadium successful Las Vegas, location of nan NFL’s Raiders, which is expected to beryllium configured for astir 71,835 spectators. It will almost surely shatter nan erstwhile Las Vegas attendance grounds for boxing: nan 29,214 who turned up for nan 1982 conflict betwixt Larry Holmes and Gerry Cooney astatine a purpose-built outdoor arena successful nan Caesars Palace parking lot.

The main paper originates astatine 9pm ET (2am BST connected Sunday), pinch Álvarez and Crawford not expected to make their ringing walks until aft 11pm ET (4am BST).

What belts are connected nan statement successful Canelo v Crawford?

Canelo’s undisputed crown astatine 168lb is astatine stake: nan WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO titles each connected nan line. Crawford keeps his WBA loop astatine 154lb immoderate happens.

Around that core, nan promoters person piled connected nan trimmings: The Ring magazine’s specially commissioned strap said to costs $188,000, nan WBC’s ornate Nahui Huey Altepemeh commemorative loop and a caller ‘Crown Series’ title ringing designed successful Los Angeles and weighted astatine much than $100,000, group pinch astir 10 carats of stones.

How overmuch are tickets?

A sellout is expected, though immoderate seats were still disposable astatine property time. The cheapest tickets started astir $400 positive fees, while lower-bowl seats were going for respective 1000 dollars.

High-end packages see premium level spots adjacent nan ring, VIP entree to nan weigh-in and post-fight party, backstage hospitality and concierge services – bundles that tally good into 5 figures.

Where tin I watch Canelo v Crawford?

For nan first clip successful boxing history, a conflict of this signficance will beryllium streamed unrecorded globally connected Netflix astatine nary further costs to subscribers. The watercourse originates astatine 9pm ET (2am BST connected Sunday), pinch undercard bouts starring into nan main event.

Netflix will connection commentary feeds successful English, Spanish, Portuguese, French and German. Unlike accepted pay-per-view – which often costs US fans astir $90 – this 1 is included successful a modular subscription.

Why Netflix?

In a media scenery wherever TV ratings are falling disconnected crossed nan board, live sports proceed to subordinate nan trend. That’s caught nan attraction of media and tech giants for illustration Amazon (who bought into nan NFL) and Apple (who bought Messi), among different billion-dollar bets connected sports programming arsenic a driver for subscriptions.

Netflix has aggressively moved into unrecorded sports, seeing large fights and typical events arsenic a driver for subscriptions and world buzz. After testing nan waters pinch nan Netflix Cup (a play pro-am pinch F1 drivers) and nan Netflix Slam (a tennis accumulation betwixt Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal successful Las Vegas), it has since added NFL games connected Christmas Day and staged nan Jake Paul–Mike Tyson paper earlier this year.

With much than 280m subscribers worldwide, Netflix is betting Canelo v Crawford tin present unprecedented viewership for boxing, bringing successful casual fans who wouldn’t different bargain a pay-per-view.

Who is Turki al-Sheikh and what’s his role?

Turki al-Sheikh, nan Saudi advisor and president of nan General Entertainment Authority, has go 1 of boxing’s astir influential powerfulness brokers. Over nan past 2 years he has staged mega-cards successful Riyadh featuring Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk, reshaping nan sport’s economics pinch Saudi backing.

Al-Sheikh was instrumental successful reviving Canelo v Crawford aft talks of nan dream matchup collapsed, securing nan bout for Las Vegas arsenic portion of a broader business pinch Dana White’s caller Zuffa Boxing venture. He besides pushed for a multi-day show astir conflict week – from nationalist workouts astatine nan Fontainebleau to a WWE-AAA wrestling show and a UFC paper – ensuring nan arena doubled arsenic a Mexican Independence Day play spectacle.

Why is this conflict happening?

Since each man is already a first-ballot Hall of Famer beyond immoderate reliable dispute, it’s little of a legacy-defining conflict that a legacy-enhancing one.

Álvarez, boxing’s biggest prima who has won titles successful 4 divisons from 154lb to 175lb, has spent nan past fewer years consolidating and defending nan WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO titles astatine 168lb while generating a bid of record-breaking gates. Terence Crawford, agelong viewed arsenic nan sport’s astir complete technician, unified nan 147lb section pinch his demolition of Errol Spence Jr successful 2023 earlier taking his first and only conflict supra welterweight, winning an alphabet title astatine 154lb. Both men are moving retired of opponents that make consciousness astir their earthy weights arsenic they adjacent nan extremity of their careers, truthful a blockbuster acme gathering for illustration this abruptly made a batch of sense.

For Crawford, it’s a chance to go a three-division undisputed champion aft antecedently unifying each nan awesome world titles astatine 140lb and 147lb, thing nary antheral combatant has accomplished successful nan four-belt era. For Álvarez, it’s an opportunity to soundlessness critics who opportunity he’s avoided nan toughest challengers successful caller years and adhd yet different Hall of Fame sanction to his résumé.

What are nan rules for nan fight?

The conflict is simply a standard, afloat sanctioned 12-round title bout for Álvarez’s undisputed ace middleweight title. Both men will beryllium required to travel successful astatine aliases nether nan section limit of 168lb astatine Friday’s weigh-in successful nether nan limit. The Nevada Athletic Commission will name 3 judges to determine nan conflict if it goes nan distance.

Also astatine stake: a typical Ring Magazine loop weighted astatine astir $200,000 and nan WBC’s commemorative ‘Nahui Huey Altepemeh’ belt, created specifically for this Mexican Independence Day clash.

Should we beryllium worried astir nan weight difference?

Unlike nan Paul–Tyson spectacle, Canelo v Crawford poses nary questions astir information aliases sanctioning. Both fighters are active, elite and classed astatine nan apical of astir pound-for-pound lists.

The main interest present is competitory balance. Álvarez is nan people bigger man, unbeaten astatine nan 168lb section wherever he’s campaigned for astir 7 years. Over that span Crawford has fought almost exclusively astatine 147lb, prevention for one conflict astatine 154lb past year. So while Crawford is officially climbing 2 weight classes to look Álvarez, it’s much for illustration 3 divisions from wherever he’s demonstrated he’s comfortable.

Still, crossed a mixed 765 rounds fought successful their careers, neither combatant has ever been knocked down.

How overmuch are they getting paid?

Canelo is expected to gain astir $150m for nan fight, including astatine slightest $80m arsenic portion of his woody pinch Riyadh Season. Crawford revealed that he will person $10m successful a May section of nan Ring Champs pinch Ak & Barak podcast.

Who is connected nan undercard?

The first six undercard bouts not carried by nan Netflix watercourse will beryllium disposable free connected Tudum starting astatine 5.30pm ET (10.30pm BST). The bid of play is arsenic follows:

Preliminary paper (Tudum, from 5.30pm ET/10.30pm BST)

• Serhii Bohachuk v Brandon Adams, 10 rounds, middleweights

• Ivan Dychko v Jermaine Franklin Jr, 10 rounds, heavyweights

• Reito Tsutsumi v Javier Martinez, six rounds, ace featherweights

• Sultan Almohamed v Martin Caraballo, 4 rounds, ace lightweights

• Steven Nelson v Raiko Santana, 10 rounds, ray heavyweights

• Marco Verde v Sona Akale, six rounds, 162lb catchweight

Main paper (Netflix, from 9pm ET/2am BST connected Sunday)

• Callum Walsh v Fernando Vargas Jr, 10 rounds, inferior middleweights

• Christian Mbilli v Lester Martinez, 12 rounds, ace middleweights

• Mohammed Alakel v John Ornelas, 10 rounds, lightweights

What clip is nan ringwalk?

It’s difficult to pin down an nonstop clip for nan main event, but Canelo and Crawford will not make their entrances earlier 12am ET (5am BST).

Who will triumph Canelo v Crawford?

Bookmakers narrowly favour Canelo, citing his acquisition astatine ace middleweight, his granite chin and his grounds nether nan Las Vegas lights. But Crawford’s expertise to move stances, accommodate mid-fight and decorativeness opponents makes him nan astir vulnerable challenger Álvarez has faced since Floyd Mayweather.

If Canelo’s size and spot prevail, it will cement his power astatine 168. But if Crawford tin daze nan Mexican icon, he whitethorn spell down arsenic nan astir accomplished combatant of his procreation – and possibly nan champion pound-for-pound boxer of this era.