Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvaraz and Terence Crawford finally meet this weekend in Las Vegas is what is being billed as the fight of the year.
The WBO, WBA, IBF and WBC belts will be on the line to crown an undisputed super-middleweight champion, with American Crawford stepping up two weight classes to take on the Mexican.
Canelo remains undefeated at this level, while Crawford is looking to cement his status as one of boxing’s true greats, and pound-for-pound the best fighter in the world.
With so much at stake in Las Vegas, it is set to draw huge crowds and career-defining paydays for the fighters.
UFC CEO Dana White is involved, making his grand entrance into the sport through his new promotion Zuffa Boxing, alongside boxing’s powerbroker Turki Alalshikh.
White has confirmed that Canelo vs Crawford will be the third biggest live gate in boxing history, behind Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao ($72.2 million) and Mayweather vs Conor McGregor ($55.4 million).
The 65,000-seater capacity Allegiant Stadium will also be a sellout, which will break the attendance record previously of the venue set by WWE.
So with all eyes on the pair, who much will they be pocketing?
Battle: Canelo Alvaraz and Terence Crawford
Getty Images for Netflix
How much will Canelo and Crawford be paid for fight?
The official fight purse and split have not been officially disclosed, but Crawford has been open with his payday.
In May, he told the ‘Ring Champs with Ak & Barak’ podcast: “I got $10million for that [Canelo] fight … I’m doing it for the opportunity, baby, the legacy. The legacy outweighs the money.”
It remains to be seen just how truthful Crawford was being given the accepted estimates value his payout at five times that figure.
When promoter White was recently asked about how much each fighter was set to earn, and replied: “Imagine what it would take for Canelo to fight Crawford, and for a guy to move weight classes, who is undefeated.”
The figure of $100m was then put to White, to which he responded: “Probably.”
The general expectation is that Canelo will earn nine figures from the fight. The Mexican is no stranger to staggering paydays, having earned an estimated $550m before agreeing to a four-fight deal worth a reported $400m with Riyadh Season, which this fight is part of.
A purse worth $200m is the accepted fee both fighters will split this weekend, with Canelo pocketing $150m and Crawford taking home $50m.
