Saúl ‘Canelo’ Álvarez and Terence Crawford, two of the most accomplished boxers of the past 20 years, will climb through the ropes on Saturday night in Las Vegas for one of the sport’s biggest events in years.
Álvarez, 35, will be defending his undisputed super middleweight title at his natural 168lb. Crawford, 37, is attempting the jump of a lifetime: moving up two full divisions to that weight for the first time after winning his fourth world title last year in his 154lb debut. That size gap is at the heart of Saturday’s intrigue. And because the fight will be carried globally on Netflix at no extra cost to subscribers, it could draw the largest audience ever for a major championship bout.
But is that all you really need to know? What about the rules, how much they’re getting paid and why it’s even happening in the first place? Read on for all the answers …
Where and when is the fight?
The scheduled 12-round bout will take place on Saturday night at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, home of the NFL’s Raiders, which is expected to be configured for about 71,835 spectators. It will almost certainly shatter the previous Las Vegas attendance record for boxing: the 29,214 who turned up for the 1982 fight between Larry Holmes and Gerry Cooney at a purpose-built outdoor arena in the Caesars Palace parking lot.
The main card begins at 9pm ET (2am BST on Sunday), with Álvarez and Crawford not expected to make their ring walks until after 11pm ET (4am BST).
What belts are on the line in Canelo v Crawford?
Canelo’s undisputed crown at 168lb is at stake: the WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO titles all on the line. Crawford keeps his WBA belt at 154lb whatever happens.
Around that core, the promoters have piled on the trimmings: The Ring magazine’s specially commissioned strap said to cost $188,000, the WBC’s ornate Nahui Huey Altepemeh commemorative belt and a new ‘Crown Series’ championship ring designed in Los Angeles and valued at more than $100,000, set with nearly 10 carats of stones.
How much are tickets?
A sellout is expected, though some seats were still available at press time. The cheapest tickets started around $400 plus fees, while lower-bowl seats were going for several thousand dollars.
High-end packages include premium floor spots near the ring, VIP access to the weigh-in and post-fight party, backstage hospitality and concierge services – bundles that run well into five figures.
Where can I watch Canelo v Crawford?
For the first time in boxing history, a fight of this signficance will be streamed live globally on Netflix at no additional cost to subscribers. The stream begins at 9pm ET (2am BST on Sunday), with undercard bouts leading into the main event.
Netflix will offer commentary feeds in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French and German. Unlike traditional pay-per-view – which often costs US fans around $90 – this one is included in a standard subscription.
Why Netflix?
In a media landscape where TV ratings are falling off across the board, live sports continue to buck the trend. That’s caught the attention of media and tech giants like Amazon (who bought into the NFL) and Apple (who bought Messi), among other billion-dollar bets on sports programming as a driver for subscriptions.
Netflix has aggressively moved into live sports, seeing big fights and special events as a driver for subscriptions and global buzz. After testing the waters with the Netflix Cup (a golf pro-am with F1 drivers) and the Netflix Slam (a tennis exhibition between Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal in Las Vegas), it has since added NFL games on Christmas Day and staged the Jake Paul–Mike Tyson card earlier this year.
With more than 280m subscribers worldwide, Netflix is betting Canelo v Crawford can deliver unprecedented viewership for boxing, bringing in casual fans who wouldn’t otherwise buy a pay-per-view.
Who is Turki al-Sheikh and what’s his role?
Turki al-Sheikh, the Saudi adviser and chairman of the General Entertainment Authority, has become one of boxing’s most influential power brokers. Over the past two years he has staged mega-cards in Riyadh featuring Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk, reshaping the sport’s economics with Saudi backing.
Al-Sheikh was instrumental in reviving Canelo v Crawford after talks of the dream matchup collapsed, securing the bout for Las Vegas as part of a broader partnership with Dana White’s new Zuffa Boxing venture. He also pushed for a multi-day festival around fight week – from public workouts at the Fontainebleau to a WWE-AAA wrestling show and a UFC card – ensuring the event doubled as a Mexican Independence Day weekend spectacle.
Why is this fight happening?
Since each man is already a first-ballot Hall of Famer beyond any credible dispute, it’s less of a legacy-defining fight that a legacy-enhancing one.
Álvarez, boxing’s biggest star who has won titles in four divisons from 154lb to 175lb, has spent the last few years consolidating and defending the WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO titles at 168lb while generating a series of record-breaking gates. Terence Crawford, long viewed as the sport’s most complete technician, unified the 147lb division with his demolition of Errol Spence Jr in 2023 before taking his first and only fight above welterweight, winning an alphabet title at 154lb. Both men are running out of opponents that make sense around their natural weights as they near the end of their careers, so a blockbuster summit meeting like this suddenly made a lot of sense.
For Crawford, it’s a chance to become a three-division undisputed champion after previously unifying all the major world titles at 140lb and 147lb, something no male fighter has accomplished in the four-belt era. For Álvarez, it’s an opportunity to silence critics who say he’s avoided the toughest challengers in recent years and add yet another Hall of Fame name to his résumé.
What are the rules for the fight?
The fight is a standard, fully sanctioned 12-round championship bout for Álvarez’s undisputed super middleweight title. Both men will be required to come in at or under the division limit of 168lb at Friday’s weigh-in in under the limit. The Nevada Athletic Commission will appoint three judges to decide the fight if it goes the distance.
Also at stake: a special Ring Magazine belt valued at nearly $200,000 and the WBC’s commemorative ‘Nahui Huey Altepemeh’ belt, created specifically for this Mexican Independence Day clash.
Should we be worried about the weight difference?
Unlike the Paul–Tyson spectacle, Canelo v Crawford poses no questions about safety or sanctioning. Both fighters are active, elite and ranked at the top of most pound-for-pound lists.
The main concern here is competitive balance. Álvarez is the naturally bigger man, unbeaten at the 168lb division where he’s campaigned for nearly seven years. Over that span Crawford has fought almost exclusively at 147lb, save for one fight at 154lb last year. So while Crawford is officially climbing two weight classes to face Álvarez, it’s more like three divisions from where he’s demonstrated he’s comfortable.
Still, across a combined 765 rounds fought in their careers, neither fighter has ever been knocked down.
How much are they getting paid?
Canelo is expected to earn around $150m for the fight, including at least $80m as part of his deal with Riyadh Season. Crawford revealed that he will receive $10m in a May episode of the Ring Champs with Ak & Barak podcast.
Who is on the undercard?
The first six undercard bouts not carried by the Netflix stream will be available free on Tudum starting at 5.30pm ET (10.30pm BST). The order of play is as follows:
Preliminary card (Tudum, from 5.30pm ET/10.30pm BST)
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Serhii Bohachuk v Brandon Adams, 10 rounds, middleweights
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Ivan Dychko v Jermaine Franklin Jr, 10 rounds, heavyweights
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Reito Tsutsumi v Javier Martinez, six rounds, super featherweights
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Sultan Almohamed v Martin Caraballo, four rounds, super lightweights
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Steven Nelson v Raiko Santana, 10 rounds, light heavyweights
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Marco Verde v Sona Akale, six rounds, 162lb catchweight
Main card (Netflix, from 9pm ET/2am BST on Sunday)
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Callum Walsh v Fernando Vargas Jr, 10 rounds, junior middleweights
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Christian Mbilli v Lester Martinez, 12 rounds, super middleweights
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Mohammed Alakel v John Ornelas, 10 rounds, lightweights
What time is the ringwalk?
It’s hard to pin down an exact time for the main event, but Canelo and Crawford will not make their entrances before 12am ET (5am BST).
Who will win Canelo v Crawford?
Bookmakers narrowly favor Canelo, citing his experience at super middleweight, his granite chin and his record under the Las Vegas lights. But Crawford’s ability to switch stances, adapt mid-fight and finish opponents makes him the most dangerous challenger Álvarez has faced since Floyd Mayweather.
If Canelo’s size and strength prevail, it will cement his dominance at 168. But if Crawford can shock the Mexican icon, he may go down as the most accomplished fighter of his generation – and perhaps the best pound-for-pound boxer of this era.
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