Canelo vs Crawford showdown sparks drama with Dana White
The buzz around Las Vegas right now isn’t just about the fight itself, but everything swirling around it. On Saturday night, at Allegiant Stadium, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez will defend his collection of super-middleweight world titles against Terence “Bud” Crawford, who is moving up two weight classes in pursuit of history. Crawford is aiming to become the first male boxer in the modern era to be undisputed champion in three different divisions, and that alone makes this matchup monumental.
But before a single punch has been thrown, the spotlight shifted thanks to UFC chief Dana White. White, who is promoting his very first major boxing event under a new Saudi-backed venture, got into a fiery exchange with a reporter during the official news conference. The issue? Questions about the Muhammad Ali Act, a U.S. law designed to protect boxers’ rights and prevent monopolies. White dismissed the line of questioning, telling the reporter to “set up an interview” if he wanted to discuss it. When the reporter pushed back, White snapped, telling him to “beat it” and redirect his attention to the fighters on stage.
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The clash immediately pulled focus from what was supposed to be a celebration of one of boxing’s biggest events in recent memory. Critics worry that White’s approach to boxing could mirror the UFC model, which has often been criticized for locking fighters into restrictive contracts and offering them a smaller cut of revenues compared to traditional boxing. For many, this news conference felt like the first public collision of those two worlds.
Still, the fighters did their best to bring attention back to Saturday’s main event. Canelo, at 35, stood in front of a fiercely loyal crowd that waved Mexican flags and chanted his name. He acknowledged the size difference between himself and Crawford but admitted this was truly a 50-50 fight between two of the best boxers alive today. He called it one of the biggest nights of his career, a bout that would cement legacies.
Crawford, 37, didn’t flinch in enemy territory. He promised to shock the world and even leaned into the crowd’s energy by shouting out his Latino fans. His career has already seen him win titles across four divisions, and with 41 wins and 31 knockouts under his belt, he believes this fight will stamp his name permanently in the history books.
The spectacle itself has all the ingredients of a modern mega-fight. About 1,500 fans, celebrities like Stormzy and Lennox Lewis, and an audience of millions watching live on Netflix—the streaming platform’s first global boxing broadcast. Add in the fact that Alvarez is reportedly set to collect a $150 million purse, and the stage feels even bigger.
As the fighters shook hands to close the event, respect was shown. But the noise around Dana White’s role and the larger future of boxing made it clear: this isn’t just another fight. It’s a battle for legacy in the ring, and maybe even a battle for the direction of the sport itself.
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