History beckons as Canelo and Terence Crawford confirm record-breaking bout
Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez will take on Terence Crawford in a Las Vegas super-fight on September 13 – with UFC president Dana White announced as the bout's co-promoter.
A September showdown had been pencilled in as the pair faced off following Alvarez's lacklustre points win over William Scull last month to retain his WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO super-middleweight titles.
The date has now been firmed up, with former two-weight undisputed world champion Crawford, who has won all 41 professional contests, set to move up two divisions from light-middleweight to take on Alvarez.
It has been dubbed the 'fight of the century' by chairman of Saudi Arabia's general entertainment authority Turki Alalshikh, who will promote the clash in collaboration with White.
'Turki wants to make the biggest fights that the fans want to see in boxing and this is right up my alley,' said White of a bout that is expected to land at the 65,000-seater Allegiant Stadium.
'Are you kidding me that the first boxing fight I'm going to get to promote is Canelo vs Crawford? It's literally a once in a lifetime fight.'
It was also announced that Alvarez-Crawford will be broadcast globally by Netflix at no additional cost to its 300 million-plus subscribers.
'My perfect record speaks for itself,' Crawford said. 'I am the best fighter in the world and no matter the opponent or weight class, I have always come out on top.
'On September 13, my hand will be raised once again as the world watches greatness.'
Alvarez, who has won 63 and drawn two of his 67 bouts in the paid ranks and been undisputed at 168lbs since 2021, said: 'I'm ready to show once again that I am the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
an hour ago
- The Irish Sun
Jake Paul admits dramatic body transformation to heavyweight for Mike Tyson fight was ‘brutal' and left him ‘too FAT'
JAKE PAUL admits his heavyweight days could be behind him - after he got TOO FAT for his fight with Mike Tyson. TWO STONE to 227lb (16st 2lb) before controversially bringing Mike Tyson out of retirement in November. 5 Jake Paul admits he got 'too fat' at heavyweight Credit: Sportsfile 5 It was a dramatic transformation from his 185lb fighting days The food-lover gorged on pasta, steak and potatoes in a bid to eat his way up in weight - but he even struggled to RUN So Paul - who beat Tyson over eight shorter two minute rounds - has spent the last six months trimming back down the the 14st 4lb cruiserweight limit. He said: "It was just too much and my body wasn't made for it and even when I got into the ring I just felt too fat. "So cruiserweight is definitely the perfect weight for me." READ MORE IN BOXING22922880 The lightest Paul has fought at was 183.6lb he scaled before defeat to Tommy Fury, 26, in 2023 in what has been his first and so far only loss. Paul's fight with Tyson was as scrutinised due to the age gap 100 MILLION watching on Netflix. And the American looked to add to the streaming home run by entering shock talks to face Canelo Alvarez, 34, on May 3 in Las Vegas. Most read in Boxing 5 CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS He beat William Scull, 32, in Riyadh in May to reclaim the undisputed super-middleweight titles to defend against Terence Crawford, 37, So Paul, 28, turned his attention to an exhibition bout against WBA lightweight champion Gervonta Davis, 30. Jake Paul leaks 's***-talking' private messages with Anthony Joshua goading him about being KO'd as trash talk ramps up But Davis is now set to rematch Lamont Roach, 29, in August after their controversial New York draw in March. Paul finally called upon ex-middleweight world champ Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, 39, back down at his natural and more comfortable weight. He said ahead of the June 28 DAZN PPV: "I wanted the hardest and the biggest fights, which was first Canelo then Gervonta fell through. "And then at any given point in time we're negotiating or talking with five to six fighters to see who's down and ready to fight and making a date happen. "And after Canelo and Gervonta, we were talking to multiple people and Chavez was the one to step up, that made sense for me to stay active and get a fight in June. "So really it's just the long line and I just need more time but I'm gonna get to all of these names when the stars aligned." 5 Jake Paul faces Julio Cesar Chavez Jr next Credit: Reuters 5 Jake Paul beat Mike Tyson in his last fight Credit: Getty
Irish Daily Mirror
4 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
'Conor McGregor lived next door – when caught doing something, he'd run home'
Years before he was taunting UFC rivals, Conor McGregor was renowned for winding up his Crumlin neighbours with a wide grin spread across his face. Growing up in South Dublin, an area plagued by gangland violence and high crime rates, 'The Notorious' came from humble beginnings with his mother, Margaret and father, Tony. Nowadays, neighbours say the 36-year-old has regularly been spotted cruising around the area in his Lamborghini. However, many of the locals will also remember the teenager who grew up teasing his neighbours with his cheeky antics, before quickly escaping the area and going back into his house. Keith Carolan, who lived next door to McGregor and his family, offered an insight into what the fighter was like as a youngster. Before McGregor's mega-money bout against Floyd Mayweather in 2017, Carolan told the Irish Independent: "He was cheeky, there was no doubt about that. When he would do things he'd run inside and his mother Margaret would come out and defend him. "He was a little impish bloke. When I say cheeky I don't mean he'd give you backchat, he just had this cheeky grin. He'd say something, or do something, and he'd have this cheeky grin and then he'd go running. "He was a fast runner as well, you couldn't catch him. He was a normal young fella but he wasn't afraid to speak up for himself. He was brought up right by Margaret and Tony. He'd give you a bit of lip and then he'd run. "But sometimes he'd just do things for a laugh. You can see it sometimes still in him now. Every now and again when I see him interviewed on the tele you can sometimes see the young Conor comes out." The formative years of "young Conor" were spent at his local boxing club, being coached by two-time Olympian Phil Sutcliffe Sr. McGregor's fighting prowess, including his signature left-cross that famously floored Jose Aldo at UFC 194 to clinch the featherweight title, was likely rooted in Sutcliffe's mentorship. During the lead-up to their fight, McGregor consistently got under Aldo's skin by using every opportunity to rattle the Brazilian that was given to him on social media, press conferences and interviews. Dubliners will always remember the mayhem that ensued at the Convention Centre, when McGregor swaggered over to Aldo's table and swiped his championship belt, leading to a scuffle that UFC boss Dana White and security could not prevent. McGregor couldn't be stopped as he seized the belt and declared: "You're looking at the King." Yet, despite McGregor's notorious reputation among fight enthusiasts and Dublin locals, Carolan still recalls the mischievous boy who lived next door. Carolan added: "When he's not brash and when he's not the swaggering Conor McGregor, you see the little young Conor come out. You see the little smile on his face, especially when he's dealing with his fiancee Dee, you see the little smile coming out. "Or in some of the programmes when you see he's at home with his mam and dad, you see the little look on his face that he used to give when he was a kid, the little look of, 'Oh I'm going to wind these up now.' "He was a normal kid but they'd have their fights out there, you know the way kids have their fights and Conor would wind them all up."
The Irish Sun
21 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Dana White's mammoth Jon Jones offer ‘leaked' as insider claims Aspinall U-turn will cost icon ‘biggest UFC cheque ever'
AN INSIDER has claimed to have revealed the UFC's whopping offer to Jon Jones for a fight with Tom Aspinall. MMA's top promotion have been working on a mammoth melee between the pair since last November but have yet to finalise it. 5 The UFC agreed to Jon Jones' demands to be paid 'f**k you money' for a fight with Tom Aspinall Credit: INSTAGRAM@TOMASPINALL 5 But the former pound-for-pound king has performed a U-turn after having asking price matched Credit: GETTY 5 Former title challenger Chael Sonnen has claimed ex-rival Jones is leaving the 'biggest cheque' in UFC history on the table Credit: GETTY That's despite White and Co. meeting Long-time UFC commentator Joe Rogan sensationally claimed And three-time UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen has now claimed the former pound-for-pound king will take home a guaranteed purse of £8.9m ($12m) if he shares the octagon with He said in a video on his READ MORE ON JONES VS ASPINALL "Whatever that number was, and I believe to be $12 million, in case you're interested. Got my own sources. 'The UFC said, 'Okay'. Jon's cheque at the end of the night will be the biggest cheque he's ever got. 'It will be the biggest cheque anyone has ever got from the UFC . "It will beat out [Brock] Lesnar, it will beat out Georges [St-Pierre]. Most read in MMA JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS 5 "Ronda Rousey's weren't as big as they embellished, it will crush hers.' Jones, 37, has left MMA fans on tenterhooks over the last few weeks by flirting with the prospect of retirement, which would see him walk away from the biggest purse of his career. Jon Jones Blasts UFC Rival Tom Aspinall In X-Rated Rant And according to White, Jones' umming and ahhing over retirement has come after He said in the UFC 316 post-fight press conference: " Jon Jones agreed to do the fight. " Jon Jones was offered the deal and accepted the deal. Jon agreed to fight Tom, yes. 'You guys have heard me for the last however long, 'I guarantee this fight is going to happen. This fight's going to happen.' "You guys told me the crazy s**t that's going on Instagram , and all these other places. "But yes, I've been saying Jon is going to fight Tom.' 'It will be the biggest cheque anyone has ever got from the UFC." Chael Sonnen on Jon Jones' purse to fight Tom Aspinall White's once unwavering confidence in booking the fight, which SunSport understands was being targeted for UFC 322 in November, is starting to fade. He admitted: "Listen, you can't make people fight, if Jon doesn't want to fight, you can't make him fight. "We can try to make him fight, we can throw things at him that inspire him to want to fight. "But we'll figure it out." Former long-reigning light-heavyweight king Jones hasn't fought since his Wigan warrior Aspinall, meanwhile, has been on the sidelines since his 5 Dana White's once unwavering confidence in booking Jon Jones vs Tom Aspinall is fading Credit: GETTY
