Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez and Terence Crawford each weighed in at 167½lb behind closed doors on Friday morning, clearing the final hurdle before their historic showdown at Allegiant Stadium.
The weigh-in result confirmed what many had been waiting to see: Crawford, unbeaten in 41 professional fights, tipping the scale at a career-high mark as he climbs two weight classes into the super-middleweight division for the first time. Until last year he’d never fought above 147lb and in his most recent outing last August he weighed 153.4lb in edging Israil Madrimov. Now, after months of adding bulk, he stands one night away from challenging for all four of Álvarez’s belts at 168lb.
• Canelo v Crawford: all of your pre-fight questions, answered
What's happening?
Terence Crawford, the undefeated American boxer who has won world titles in four divisions from 135lb to 154lb, is moving up two weight classes to challenge for the undisputed 168lb championship held by Saúl ‘Canelo’ Álvarez, the Mexican four-weight champion and the sport's biggest star.
Where and when is the fight?
The scheduled 12-round bout will take place on Saturday night at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, home of the NFL’s Raiders, which is expected to be configured for about 71,835 spectators. It will almost certainly shatter the previous Las Vegas attendance record for boxing: the 29,214 who turned up for the 1982 fight between Larry Holmes and Gerry Cooney at a purpose-built outdoor arena in the Caesars Palace parking lot.
The main card begins at 9pm ET (2am BST on Sunday), with Álvarez and Crawford not expected to make their ringwalks until after 12am ET (5am BST).
What belts are on the line?
Álvarez's undisputed crown at 168lb is at stake: the WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO titles all on the line. Crawford keeps his WBA belt at 154lb whatever happens.
Where can I watch it?
For the first time in boxing history, a fight of this magnitude will be streamed live globally on Netflix at no additional cost to subscribers. The stream begins at 9pm ET, with undercard bouts leading into the main event.
Netflix will offer commentary feeds in English and Spanish. Unlike traditional pay-per-view, which often costs US fans around $90, this one is included in a standard subscription.
Who else is fighting?
The first six undercard bouts not carried by the Netflix stream will be available free on Tudum starting at 5.30pm ET (10.30pm BST). The entire order of play is as follows:
Preliminary card (Tudum, from 5.30pm ET/10.30pm BST)
• Serhii Bohachuk v Brandon Adams, 10 rounds, middleweights
• Ivan Dychko v Jermaine Franklin Jr, 10 rounds, heavyweights
• Reito Tsutsumi v Javier Martinez, six rounds, super featherweights
• Sultan Almohamed v Martin Caraballo, four rounds, super lightweights
• Steven Nelson v Raiko Santana, 10 rounds, light heavyweights
• Marco Verde v Sona Akale, six rounds, 162lb catchweight
Main card (Netflix, from 8pm ET/1am BST on Sunday)
• Callum Walsh v Fernando Vargas Jr, 10 rounds, junior middleweights
• Christian Mbilli v Lester Martinez, 12 rounds, super middleweights
• Mohammed Alakel v John Ornelas, 10 rounds, lightweights
• Canelo Álvarez v Terence Crawford, 12 rounds, for Alvarez's undisputed super middleweight championship
Álvarez, a four-division champion who has campaigned at 168lb or above for nearly seven years, also came in at 167½lb, looking at ease and unfazed in his latest trip to the scales.
The official weigh-in, held behind closed doors at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas, was notable less for drama than for its secrecy. The headliners stepped on the scale in separate rooms away from the assembled media and the 18 other fighters on Saturday’s card. Organizers offered no explanation. A ceremonial weigh-in open to the public at T-Mobile Arena was scheduled for Friday evening.
The fact both men hit the same number belied the disparity in questions each faces.
For Álvarez, 63-2-2 with 39 knockouts, the issue is whether at 35, and having gone nearly four years without stopping an opponent inside the distance, he can rediscover the destructive form that made him boxing’s biggest attraction.
For Crawford, 37, the doubts circle around whether his sharpness and timing can offset Álvarez’s natural size and granite chin. The durable Nebraskan has never been knocked down or seriously hurt but neither has Álvarez, a fact that looms large as they prepare to meet in front of more than 70,000 fans on Mexican Independence Day weekend.
Should Crawford succeed, he will become the first male boxer of the four-belt era to reign as undisputed champion in three separate weight classes, adding to his clean sweeps at junior welterweight and welterweight. The oddsmakers list Álvarez as a slight favorite but the odds against Crawford have shortened materially in recent weeks, indicating heavy action on the American.
The scheduled 12-round bout is the main event of a 10-fight card taking place at the $2bn home of the NFL’s Raiders, which can hold more than 70,000 spectators. It will easily shatter the attendance record for boxing in Las Vegas, set in 1982 when 29,214 watched Larry Holmes batter Gerry Cooney in a purpose-built outdoor arena built in the Caesars Palace parking lot.
The fighters on Saturday’s televised undercard also made weight: Ireland’s Callum Walsh (153.5lb) against Fernando Vargas Jr (153lb), Christian Mbilli (167lb) against Lester Martinez (167lb), and Serhii Bohachuk (155lb) against Brandon Adams (156lb).
