Promoters of the fight between Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford have gone all out and are going to organize the event of the year in the boxing world in a larger than usual venue. We already knew that the fight will take place on September 13 in Las Vegas and last week it was reported that Netflix will broadcast this important duel worldwide.
We were left to wonder where the fight between the two undisputed champions would take place. Now the poster is complete as it has been revealed that the two contenders will face each other at the Allegiant Stadium, home of the Las Vegas Raiders NFL team. The venue, which has a capacity of 65,000 spectators (71,500 people for boxing), was originally going to host a college football game between the UNLV Rebels and Idaho State Bengals that weekend, but an agreement has been reached to move the boxing bout there.
Curiously, this fight, framed in the Riyadh Season, will be the first combat sports event at this stadium since it opened in 2020. The venue, known as the ‘Death Star’ in honor of the Star Wars space station, was not to Dana White’s liking, who has had to compromise with this idea. Remember that the UFC boss is making his debut in boxing promotion with TKO Boxing, which he will run together with The Ring as promoter.
The idea of the Allegiant is not new and White had already shown his displeasure just over a month ago. “I hate it. And because I hate it so much, I’m going to have to try to find a way to make it an incredible experience inside Allegiant,” he said. This, and the fact that Canelo wanted to change the fight to the 13th (it was originally the 12th), almost ruined his participation, but the UFC boss and Turki Alalshikh will continue to work together for this mega-fight.
The magnitude of this fight guarantees a full house and it also coincides with the weekend of the Mexican Independence celebrations. Every time Canelo fights on these dates in Sin City, the mobilization of fans is extraordinary. It remains to be seen how much tickets will cost. The event, therefore, has nothing to do with the last ‘fight of the century’ in Las Vegas, Mayweather vs. Pacquiao, which took place at the MGM Grand with a smaller and exclusive capacity.
Another detail will be the time of the fight, which is not defined and could be subject to the ‘UFC Fight Night: San Antonio’ event. The possibility of it taking place at an early hour, in broad daylight, angered Oscar de la Hoya. Netflix will surely choose the time it considers most favorable for its event, regardless of what the UFC does.
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