Dana White becomes hero to fight fans with major Canelo-Crawford news as UFC promoter moves into boxing
Boxing fanatics weren't necessarily sold on UFC promoter Dana White when his involvement in the upcoming Canelo Alvarez-Terence Crawford bout was announced back in March.
After all, his experience is primarily in mixed-martial arts and a fledgling slap-fighting circuit, so there was some natural skepticism about his capacity to win over the boxing audience.
But on Tuesday, along with Saudi Boxing Federation president and Riyadh Season promoter Turki Al-Sheikh, White did just that by revealing Canelo-Crawford bout will be on Netflix and not pay per view. And according to another boxing promoter, that decision could make the highly anticipated September 13 bout historically popular.
'#CaneloCrawford, streaming on @netflix, NO PPV, is a huge opportunity and showcase for #boxing,' veteran promoter and former HBO executive Lou DiBella wrote on X. 'It's also going to create proper momentum for the new Saudi/TKO promotion. Well done by Dana and all; re-securing Netflix was key. This will be one of the most watched fights EVER.'
TKO is the conglomerate created by Endeavor as part of the highly publicized merger between the WWE and UFC parent company Zuffa. In March, the newly formed company announced a partnership with Al-Sheikh to launch a new boxing league next year which is being modelled after the UFC.
Like DiBella, fans were understandably excited about the absence of any PPV fees: 'Crawford vs Canelo on Netflix at no additional cost?' one wrote, adding, 'Sign me up!'
Not everyone was thrilled with the news about Netflix, particularly given the streaming giant's lackluster performance for the Mike Tyson-Jake Paul farce in November.
Fans on both sides of the Atlantic faced poor image quality, prolonged buffering and spotty audio throughout the undercard. Meanwhile, hundreds online complained of error messages, while '#unwatchable' began trending on X.
'This unprecedented scale created many technical challenges, which the launch team tackled brilliantly by prioritizing stability of the stream for the majority of viewers,' Netflix CTO Elizabeth Stone wrote to employees afterwards, as reported by Bloomberg.
Despite the problems, Netflix saw the event as a success after claiming as many as 65 million households were viewing at one point.
White does have some experience promoting boxing events, including the wildly profitable and utterly disappointing 2017 snoozefest between Floyd Mayweather and converted UFC fighter Conor McGregor.
He's also promoted fight cards involving Ireland's Callum Walsh, which were streamed on UFC Fight Pass.
A year ago, White predicted his involvement in boxing would only grow in 2025, and on Tuesday, he laid out the vision he shares with Al-Sheikh.
'Turki wants to make the biggest fights that the fans want to see in boxing and this is right up my alley,' White said in quote he posted on X. '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 (sic) fight. Live on Saturday, September 13, streaming globally on Netflix, two of the GREATEST boxers in the sport will meet in a historic fight from Las Vegas.'
A venue has not been named, but the city does have options ranging from the Raiders' Allegiant Stadium to the Golden Knights' T-Mobile Arena.
It will be a huge task for Crawford given Canelo has never lost a fight at super middleweight.
Crawford, who has a 41-0 record with 31 knockouts, will come up from 154 pounds to 168 pounds for the September showdown, having fought only once over 147 pounds in his entire career.
What's more, he would be out of action for 13 months by the time he steps in the ring with Canelo.
It will be a huge task for the American given Canelo has never lost a fight at super middleweight.
The 34-year-old Alvarez is a four-weight world champion and entered his last fight against William Scull with the WBA, WBC and WBO titles at 168 pounds.
He was previously stripped of the IBF belt last July when he declined to make a mandatory defense against Scull.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
8 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Disgraced NFL star Greg Hardy slams 'rumors' after shocking arrest for allegedly assaulting family member
Disgraced former NFL star and UFC fighter Greg Hardy is calling for privacy after his latest domestic violence arrest in Texas. On Tuesday, the 36-year-old posted video of himself at a trampoline park with a woman and two young children, presumed to be Hardy's partner, son and daughter. Hardy is seen kissing the woman in the video while the smiling children are playing on the trampoline. 'Please stop spreading what these chaos machines post, they don't know any facts then fuel the fire that effects (sic) my kids and my wife,' he wrote. 'Things get emotional but has never and will never be what you clowns are trying to spread. I ask with all my heart please, My family and I are all perfectly fine.' Hardy ended the post: 'Please stop spreading lies and rumors and give our family the time and space to work through it all in private.' Although he refers to her as his 'wife,' it's unclear if Hardy and the woman are actually married. Daily Mail has reached out to the Richardson (Texas) Police Department for further information and an incident report. Last week, the department reported Hardy allegedly put his hands on his partner after she accused him of infidelity. The one-time Dallas Cowboys defensive end is accused of pushing the woman and putting his hands around her neck. Police also reported scratches and redness on her body they believed to be 'consistent with a physical altercation,' according to police documents obtained by TMZ. Tai Tuivasa of Australia (top) takes down Greg Hardy in the first round in their heavyweight bout during UFC 264: Poirier v McGregor 3 at T-Mobile Arena on July 10, 2021 in Las Vegas Hardy admitted to police he was involved in a dispute with his partner, but claimed he simply moved her out of his way. He was arrested on a charge of 'assault causing bodily injury family member.' Hardy was infamously arrested on domestic violence allegations in May of 2014 when he was accused of assaulting his then-girlfriend in Charlotte during his time with the Carolina Panthers. As the woman told Charlotte Mecklenburg Police, Hardy threw her down on a sofa that was covered in 'assault rifles and/or shotguns.' Hardy was found guilty of assault and communicating threats. He sentenced him to 18 months' probation, but appealed the decision, requesting a jury trial. When the accuser did not show in court, prosecutors dropped the charges. The prosecutors later claimed to have received 'reliable information' the two sides reached a settlement. Hardy was ultimately suspended 10 games, but that ban was then reduced to four games. He went on to sign with the Cowboys before embarking on a combat career in 2016. In total he has 13 MMA fights and four boxing bouts, although he's failed to distinguish himself in either arena.
Scottish Sun
8 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Jake Paul leaks ‘s***-talking' private messages with Anthony Joshua goading him about being KO'd as trash talk ramps up
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) JAKE PAUL revealed he is goading Anthony Joshua about being knocked out - as their "s*** talking" ramps up behind the scenes. Paul audaciously called out the two-time heavyweight champion on his podcast earlier this year - vowing to knock Joshua out. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 6 Jake Paul and Anthony Joshua having been goading each other via DMs 6 AJ also shared his phone call with Jake Paul earlier in the year 6 Jake Paul insists they're still friends despite the trash-talk 6 Daniel Dubois KO'd Joshua in September Credit: Getty It did not take long for AJ to quite literally call the prankster-turned-prizefighter's bluff by phoning him up - but Paul countered by suggesting a 2026 fight date. And Paul has now revealed the two are already goading each other privately over social media - as all's fair in love and war. He said: "It was all nice, we've been cordial. He DMd me today like saying "LOL" to one of my training clips and then I sent him a "LOL" of of him getting knocked out. "And so I guess like we're kind of s*** talking, behind the scenes a bit. But I have a lot of love for Anthony Joshua. READ MORE IN BOXING PAUL ON OFFER Jake Paul urges UFC to make 'winner-takes-all' Jones vs Ngannou fight "I think this type of stuff is funny and he's a great guy and I think just a fight between us would be awesome and I do believe I can win." Joshua, 35, is yet to fight since being KO'd by Daniel Dubois, 27, at Wembley in September having undergone elbow surgery in May. Promoter Eddie Hearn revealed AJ hopes to return before the year is over - meanwhile Paul faces ex-middleweight world champ Julio Cesar Chavez Jr on June 28. It comes after he stepped up to heavyweight in November to face Mike Tyson - who controversially made a comeback aged 58. 6 CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS Still over 100 MILLION tuned in to watch Paul's eight-round points win on Netflix - but it came at the cost of piling on TWO STONE. And Paul - who gorged on pasta, steaks and potatoes to bulk up - admitted the heavyweight jump was "brutal". Jake Paul reveals 'hefty' six-man hit-list of opponents for next fight including Anthony Joshua and world champ The 28-year-old added: "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." Paul will come down from 16st 2lb to the 200lb cruiserweight limit of 14st 4lb to face Chavez in California. It followed after Canelo Alvarez, 34, pulled out of a shock deal to fight Paul in Las Vegas on May 3 - instead signing with Saudi Arabia's Turki Alalshikh. Canelo - who beat Chavez on points in 2017 - regained his undisputed super-middleweight titles with victory over William Scull in May. And now he defends the 168lb thrown in a September 13 super-fight against unbeaten American Terence Crawford, 37, as Paul was forced to look elsewhere. But he said: "Chavez and I have been going back and forth for a long time and he's always been a great opponent on the list of someone that I wanted to fight. "And now it made perfect sense to go up against him as a former world champion and just continuing to further my resume and get more time under the lights." Paul also revealed he is in talks to fight current cruiserweight champions Gilberto "Zurdo" Ramirez, 33, and Badou Jack, 41. And with Gervonta Davis, 30, also lined up for an exhibition bout - Paul says he is boxing's most desired man. He joked: I'm like like Megan Fox from Transformers movie like everyone wants me! So there's not enough time to do it all and it could make sense. Look, it might. "It might line up but at the end of the day, there's 100 people that want to fight me. I got Canelo, Gervonta, Anthony Joshua, Badou, Zurdo, Tommy Fury, KSI, the list keeps on going. "It's just about what makes sense and we'll see when the negotiations come but I would for sure entertain a fight with him." 6 Jake Paul faces Julio Cesar Chavez Jr next Credit: Reuters
The Sun
8 hours ago
- The Sun
Jake Paul leaks ‘s***-talking' private messages with Anthony Joshua goading him about being KO'd as trash talk ramps up
JAKE PAUL revealed he is goading Anthony Joshua about being knocked out - as their "s*** talking" ramps up behind the scenes. Paul audaciously called out the two-time heavyweight champion on his podcast earlier this year - vowing to knock Joshua out. 6 6 6 6 It did not take long for AJ to quite literally call the prankster-turned-prizefighter's bluff by phoning him up - but Paul countered by suggesting a 2026 fight date. And Paul has now revealed the two are already goading each other privately over social media - as all's fair in love and war. He said: "It was all nice, we've been cordial. He DMd me today like saying "LOL" to one of my training clips and then I sent him a "LOL" of of him getting knocked out. "And so I guess like we're kind of s*** talking, behind the scenes a bit. But I have a lot of love for Anthony Joshua. "I think this type of stuff is funny and he's a great guy and I think just a fight between us would be awesome and I do believe I can win." Joshua, 35, is yet to fight since being KO'd by Daniel Dubois, 27, at Wembley in September having undergone elbow surgery in May. Promoter Eddie Hearn revealed AJ hopes to return before the year is over - meanwhile Paul faces ex-middleweight world champ Julio Cesar Chavez Jr on June 28. It comes after he stepped up to heavyweight in November to face Mike Tyson - who controversially made a comeback aged 58. 6 And Paul - who gorged on pasta, steaks and potatoes to bulk up - admitted the heavyweight jump was "brutal". Jake Paul reveals 'hefty' six-man hit-list of opponents for next fight including Anthony Joshua and world champ The 28-year-old added: "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." Paul will come down from 16st 2lb to the 200lb cruiserweight limit of 14st 4lb to face Chavez in California. It followed after Canelo Alvarez, 34, pulled out of a shock deal to fight Paul in Las Vegas on May 3 - instead signing with Saudi Arabia's Turki Alalshikh. Canelo - who beat Chavez on points in 2017 - regained his undisputed super-middleweight titles with victory over William Scull in May. And now he defends the 168lb thrown in a September 13 super-fight against unbeaten American Terence Crawford, 37, as Paul was forced to look elsewhere. But he said: "Chavez and I have been going back and forth for a long time and he's always been a great opponent on the list of someone that I wanted to fight. "And now it made perfect sense to go up against him as a former world champion and just continuing to further my resume and get more time under the lights." Paul also revealed he is in talks to fight current cruiserweight champions Gilberto "Zurdo" Ramirez, 33, and Badou Jack, 41. And with Gervonta Davis, 30, also lined up for an exhibition bout - Paul says he is boxing's most desired man. He joked: I'm like like Megan Fox from Transformers movie like everyone wants me! So there's not enough time to do it all and it could make sense. Look, it might. "It might line up but at the end of the day, there's 100 people that want to fight me. I got Canelo, Gervonta, Anthony Joshua, Badou, Zurdo, Tommy Fury, KSI, the list keeps on going. "It's just about what makes sense and we'll see when the negotiations come but I would for sure entertain a fight with him." 6
