On September 13th, the biggest boxing event of the year took over Las Vegas and Allegiant Stadium. This was the biggest fight the lower weight classes have seen since Pacquiao versus Mayweather. Just like Pacquiao, Terrence Crawford was fighting up multiple weight classes and taking a big step up in competition. Canelo Alvarez, on the other hand, has been the real deal. He has fought against the best of the best, with major fights against Mayweather, Bivol, and Golovkin.
Many were unsure how the matchup would play out, given the betting odds, which had Alvarez favored at -170 and Crawford at +140. Meaning many saw this fight as a 50/50 split. When the night came, the fight was anything but even. Crawford dominated Canelo, landing more clean and damaging shots, while barely even getting hit. At the end of the fight, all three judges gave Crawford the win, and he is now a three-division undisputed champion.
The fight did more than just grab the attention of boxing fans; many celebrities were also spotted in the crowd. Many spotted Mr. Beast, Sofia Vergara, Mark Wahlberg, Jason Statham, Charlize Theron, and Lizzo. Also, many legends of the sport, such as Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, and Julio Cesar Chavez, couldn’t miss this battle between the two modern greats. While at home, it is reported that over 41 million users watched the fight live.
Despite the event attracting major celebrities and millions worldwide, it has seen a significant decrease in viewership since Netflix’s last major boxing event. Last year, when Jake Paul fought Mike Tyson in the latter’s long-awaited return to boxing, it pulled in over 100 million live concurrent viewers. This leaves the concern of whether boxing is losing its steam. Especially with companies like the UFC landing bigger venues, such as the Sphere, and upcoming events like the White House. Dylan Foust (12) shares his opinion on the fight, saying, “I was interested in the fight since I like Canelo, but I was more excited for the UFC fight that happened earlier in the day since Diego Lopes was fighting and he is my favorite fighter”.
The boxing world has taken notice and planned ahead. Since this summer, Riyadh Season, the largest boxing promoter in the world, has partnered with Dana White and TKO Group Holdings Inc. to create a new Boxing league and help promote the upcoming super fights. They have already tested it with Canelo versus Crawford, and many have claimed it a success and a step in the right direction for the sport of boxing. Dana’s long-term goal is to ensure that these big super fights, like the one we saw with Canelo versus Crawford, happen more frequently, and hopefully elevate the sport to create more household names like Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson. Grant Langston (12) gave his thoughts, saying that, “This is the most exciting time to be a boxing fan. I can’t wait to see how the sport will change in the coming years.”
Canelo versus Crawford was a major event in boxing history, not only the crowning of a new undisputed champion, but also setting the foundation for the new era of boxing led by Dana White.
