Canelo Alvarez will get $150 million to fight Terence Crawford in Las Vegas. The huge payday comes with worries about Canelo's performance after his last fight.
Canelo's recent bout against William Scull in Saudi Arabia didn't go well. The fight set a record for the fewest punches thrown in a 12-round match in the last 40 years, according to CompuBox. Many called Scull the worst opponent Canelo has faced.
But Crawford isn't Scull. Las Vegas isn't Riyadh. And Dana White, who's promoting the fight through TKO Group Holdings, isn't known for putting up with lackluster showings.
White's reputation for demanding exciting fights might push Canelo to step up his game. The Mexican star has faced criticism lately for seemingly focusing more on paychecks than boxing.
After knocking out Ryan Garcia in Times Square, Rolly Romero shared his thoughts on The Danza Project podcast:
"Those were two horrible fights (Devin Haney's and Canelo's). I couldn't even watch Devin's fight, brother. I was warming up in the back. I didn't want to fall asleep on the way to the ring."
Romero didn't stop there. He took aim at fighters he feels lack the will to win:
"Fighters like Canelo and Haney don't have the will to win and promoters tolerate them. They tell them 'no matter what happens, win or lose, you'll keep fighting' and the fighters are just motivated by the next paycheck. Everyone fights like that, Canelo is included in this now, everyone fights for the next paycheck."
Romero contrasted this with the UFC's approach:
"In the UFC, if you don't fight to win, Dana White cuts your ass (...) He'll give you a chance, but if you don't fight to win, Dana doesn't put up with that."
The Crawford fight gives Canelo a chance to silence critics. He'll need to prove he can still perform against top competition. There's talk of a potential clash with David Benavidez before Canelo retires, but first, he must show up against Crawford.
For boxing fans, the hope is that this high-profile matchup delivers the excitement recent big fights have lacked. The sport can't afford another record-breaking low-action affair, especially with such a massive purse on the line.
