Boxing’s most eagerly anticipated fight in years, the long-rumored showdown between Canelo Álvarez and Terence Crawford, will take place on 13 September in Las Vegas and stream globally on Netflix, organisers confirmed on Tuesday.
The summit meeting will match two of the most accomplished pound-for-pound fighters of the past decade in a cross-divisional clash with generational implications. Álvarez, the undisputed super middleweight champion who’s held titles between 154lb and 175lb, will defend his crown against Crawford, the unbeaten four-weight titleholder from 135lb through 154lb. Crawford will move up two weight classes to challenge the Mexican superstar in what has already been billed as the “fight of the century”.
The venue has yet to be finalised, though Allegiant Stadium, the 71,835-seat home of the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders, is understood to be the top choice. The date conflicts with a scheduled UNLV college football game against Idaho State, but sources familiar with discussions say talks are under way to move the UNLV game to a different site or reschedule it entirely. T-Mobile Arena, where Álvarez headlined some of his biggest nights and where Crawford blew out Errol Spence Jr in a welterweight title unification bout in 2023, remains a fallback option.
The bout will be promoted by Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Season in collaboration with Ultimate Fighting Championship president and Donald Trump confidant Dana White and the Saudi entertainment company Sela. It marks White’s first foray into boxing and signals a further deepening of the kingdom’s influence over the sport’s biggest nights.
“On 13 September, Canelo and Crawford, two legends of boxing, will finally compete against each other in the fight of the century,” said Turki al-Sheikh, chairman of the General Entertainment Authority and president of the Saudi Boxing Federation. “Alongside Dana White and Sela, we will deliver something truly incredible in Las Vegas for fans around the world to enjoy through Netflix.”
Crawford, 41-0 with 31 knockouts, has already become the first male fighter to claim undisputed championships in two weight classes in the four-belt era, doing so at 140lb and 147lb. In his last outing in August, the Omaha native defeated Israil Madrimov to capture the WBA junior middleweight title, making Tuesday’s confirmation all the more remarkable: he will now jump directly to 168lbs to face Álvarez without a tune-up. “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 13 September, my hand will be raised once again as the world watches greatness.”
