Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez and Terence Crawford will face off in a super middleweight championship bout on September 13 in Las Vegas. Netflix has nabbed the broadcast rights for the fight, making a big move into boxing.
The streaming giant will show the undisputed super middleweight title clash to all its subscribers worldwide, including Mexico. It's a partnership between Netflix, Saudi Arabia's Turki Alalshikh, and UFC boss Dana White.
Canelo, the current champion, holds all four major belts at 168 pounds. He'll defend them against Crawford, who's moving up in weight. Crawford could make history as the first male boxer to be undisputed champ in three divisions in the four-belt era.
"I am super happy to make history again, and this time it will be broadcast on Netflix. On September 13, I am ready to prove once again that I am the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world," Canelo said.
Crawford fired back:
"My perfect record speaks for itself. I am the best boxer in the world and, regardless of the opponent or weight class, I have always come out victorious."
The fighters will embark on a promotional tour starting June 20 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. They'll then hit New York City on June 22 for Fanatics Fest at the Javits Center. The tour wraps up in Las Vegas on June 27 at T-Mobile Arena.
This isn't Netflix's first rodeo in boxing. Last November, they aired Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson, pulling in 74 million average viewers. But the event had its share of technical issues, with fans reporting freezing images, buffering, and poor resolution.
Netflix isn't stopping there. In July, they'll stream the Katie Taylor vs Amanda Serrano trilogy fight, which will be the first all-female card in Madison Square Garden's history.
With this Canelo-Crawford bout, Netflix is betting big on boxing. They're hoping to knock out the competition and become a major player in sports broadcasting.
