The undercard for Terence Crawford’s super-fight with Saul “Canelo Alvarez” has been announced, though a radical element that was previously teased has seemingly been dropped.
Crawford, a four-weight world champion, will move up yet again next month as he challenges Canelo for the undisputed super-middleweight titles.
That fight will take place at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on 13 September, as will the undercard, despite a tease by Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh earlier this summer.
“The undercard, it will be between two or three days,” Alalshikh said in July, speaking to The Ring, a magazine that he owns. “Imagine, for two or three days.
“We have now reached more than 20 fights to do on the undercard, and 90… 95 per cent of this card is talent and people around the world [who] have a very big chance to be a star in the future. [Thursday, Friday,] then Saturday. It must be something like this [a fight festival].”
As it stands, however, only nine undercard fights are official.
Already announced were the following bouts: Callum Walsh vs Fernando Vargas Jr at super-welterweight; Christian Mbilli vs Lester Martinez at super-middleweight; and Mohammed Alakel vs John Ornelas at lightweight. Now, six more bouts have added.
Serhii Bohacuk will fight Brandon Adams in a middleweight bout, heavyweights Ivan Dychko and Jermaine Franklin will clash, and Reito Tsutsumi faces Javier Martinez at super-featherweight. Furthermore, a super-lightweight bout pits Sultan Almohammed against Martin Caraballo, while Steven Nelson battles Raiko Santana at light-heavyweight, and Marco Verde boxes Marcos Osorio Betancourt in a super-middleweight contest.
Canelo vs Crawford was originally due to take place on Friday 12 September, but it was then moved back by one day. It will now clash with a UFC Fight Night, despite the fact that UFC president Dana White is a co-promoter of Canelo vs Crawford.
Indeed, Canelo vs Crawford marks White’s first major event as a boxing promoter, as he works alongside Alalshikh.
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Crawford is a former lightweight, super-lightweight, and welterweight champion, who currently holds the WBA super-welterweight title. The unbeaten American, 37, was previously undisputed at super-lightweight and welterweight – one of just two boxers to have been undisputed at two weights in the four-belt era, alongside Naoya Inoue.
Meanwhile, Canelo is a two-time undisputed champion at super-middleweight. The Mexican, 35, has also held gold at super-welterweight, middleweight, and light-heavyweight.
When Crawford boxes Canelo in September, the American will be hitting a career-high weight.