Saudi-sponsored Crawford-Canelo fight boosts boxing’s popularity

LAS VEGAS: Global enthusiasm for championship boxing is set to rise, thanks to the upcoming contest between super middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and lightweight champion Terence “Bud” Crawford.

The bout, sponsored by Riyadh Season and Saudi sports promoter Turki Alalshikh, will be broadcast on Netflix Saturday, Sept. 13.

Wednesday saw high-profile boxers strutting their stuff before audiences at Las Vegas’ Fontainebleau Hotel. Saudi boxer Mohammed Alakel faces Travis Crawford (not related to Terence) as part of the main card lightweight bout prelude to the Canelo-Crawford battle.

Terence Crawford has fought in four divisions from lightweight to light middleweight, including the undisputed championship at light welterweight and welterweight. He says he will “prove the doubters wrong” when he faces off with Alvarez.

“You know, a lot of people was doubting me, saying that this never been done before. But my reply to it is, ‘It’s never been done before until somebody do it.’ And I think I’m gonna be the one to do it,” he told Arab News.

“Everything is … on schedule. Everything is where it needs to be. I feel great about it and I’m looking forward to it.”

Alvarez, whose 63 wins include 39 knockouts and only two losses and who is the two-time undisputed super middleweight champion, has captured prestigious belts from boxing’s four main sanctioning bodies — the  captured the boxing sports four most prestigious belts from its four major sanctioning bodies — the World Boxing Association, World Boxing Council, World Boxing Organization and the International Boxing Federation.

But some critics point out he has gone the 12-round distance in his last seven fights, with some “underwhelming performances” among