Terence Crawford defeated Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez by unanimous decision on Saturday to become the undisputed super middleweight champion.
The event was the first major venture for Zuffa Boxing, a promotion led by UFC CEO Dana White and backed by Saudi Arabian investment. It operates under the umbrella of TKO Group Holdings, the Endeavor-owned sports and entertainment company that is the parent company of both UFC and WWE.
Saturday’s card at Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, drew an announced crowd of 70,482, the largest for a boxing match in the city’s history.
It was reported that the live gate was $47,231,887, per Adam Hill of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
In a significant departure from the sport’s traditional business model, the fight was streamed globally on Netflix, included for subscribers at no extra cost, forgoing the pay-per-view model.
The launch represents a major strategic move by TKO Group. White has publicly stated his goal is to reform boxing’s landscape by creating a league-style structure, similar to the UFC.
On the sporting side, Crawford’s victory was hailed by observers as a masterclass. He moved up two weight classes to deliver a tactical performance that earned him the win on all three judges’ scorecards, with totals of 116-112, 115-113, and 115-113. With the victory, the 37-year-old becomes the first male boxer in the four-belt era to be an undisputed champion in three different weight divisions.
After the fight, Crawford, now 42-0, remained respectful of the opponent he had just dethroned.
Canelo is a great champion. I’ve got to take my hat off to him. He’s a strong competitor. Like I said before, I’ve got nothing but respect for Canelo. I’m a big fan of Canelo and he fought like a champion today.
For Álvarez, 35, whose record falls to 63-3-2, the loss was his first since 2022. He offered no excuses. “We knew Crawford is a great fighter,” Álvarez said. “He deserved all the credit. I tried my best tonight and I couldn’t figure out the style.”
