UFC boss Dana White stole the spotlight at a press conference for Saturday’s super-fight between Canelo Álvarez and Terence Crawford after clashing with a reporter over his new role in boxing.
Álvarez, 35, will defend his WBA (Super), WBC, WBO and IBF super-middleweight titles against Crawford, 37, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Crawford, moving up two weight classes, is chasing history as the first male fighter in the modern era to become undisputed champion in three divisions.
The fighters traded the usual mix of respect and bravado in front of a heavily pro-Canelo crowd. But tension spiked when questions turned to White, who was running the event and promoting his first boxing card since launching a Saudi-backed venture in the sport.
Reporter Sean Zittel pressed White on the Muhammad Ali Act, a 2000 law meant to protect boxers and prevent monopolies. White brushed him off: “This is obviously a long discussion. If you want to talk about that then set up an interview. This isn’t about me.” When Zittel kept pushing, White snapped: “You have a question for these two, no? Beat it.”
White has been lobbying to amend the act, which doesn’t apply to MMA, so the UFC can create its own titles in boxing. Critics say that would lock fighters into restrictive deals, reduce their pay and give White monopoly-like power.
As the exchange heated up, Álvarez broke the tension by chanting “fight, fight, fight” to laughter from the crowd.
Roughly 1,500 fans, including rapper Stormzy and boxing legend Lennox Lewis, filled the T-Mobile Arena for the press event. Mexican flags waved as chants of “Canelo” echoed throughout the venue.
“This fight for me is big. One of the biggest of my career,” Álvarez said. Once dismissive of Crawford because of size differences, Álvarez now calls it a true 50-50 matchup. “Two of the best fighting each other. They right.”
Crawford, who hasn’t fought since beating Israil Madrimov 13 months ago to win a title in a fourth weight class, was unfazed by the partisan atmosphere. “I’m feeling great. I am ready to go shock the world,” he said, even firing up the crowd with a shout-out to his “Latino fans.”
Crawford (41-0, 31 knockouts) first claimed a world title in 2014 against Ricky Burns in Scotland and has since unified the light-welterweight and welterweight divisions. A win Saturday would cement his place among boxing’s all-time greats.
The fight will stream globally on Netflix, potentially reaching over 300 million subscribers. It also marks the first major boxing event promoted by White alongside Saudi official Turki Alalshikh, a partnership being touted as a fresh chapter for the sport.
But Álvarez pushed back against suggestions that boxing needs saving. “Boxing was always big. Don’t say boxing is not big enough. You know how big boxing is,” he said.
Despite past shoving matches, Álvarez and Crawford ended the press conference on a calmer note, nodding and shaking hands before leaving the stage.
