Despite the heavy rain hitting umbrellas and faces on a Sunday morning in New York City, Canelo Alvarez wore sunglasses. He was on the second stop of a three-city tour to promote his highly anticipated September 13 mega-fight against Terence Crawford. Most media members gathered under the Javits Center were shaking off raindrops, but Alvarez remained dry and seemed radiant. Earlier that day, he had bought a shiny new, special-edition watch for just under $500,000, paying with his high-limit credit card. He clarified, “Almost half a million,” with a big, proud smile.
He spent approximately 30 minutes facing a steady stream of interviewers introducing themselves and immediately turning on cameras. The sunglasses then felt more like necessary eye protection than a fashion choice or a way to mask boredom or a hangover. The constant glare he was under all day was undeniably tough on the eyes.
Canelo doesn`t often smile or get visibly animated during interviews. His only clear display of emotion is when he talks about golf – he clearly loves it. The rest of the time, he`s strictly focused on promoting the fight. This event, whether fully appreciated yet or not, is poised to be a significant moment for any sports fan on September 13, available on Netflix. It marks the first Zuffa Boxing event, promoted by Dana White as part of the TKO brand, and features arguably the two best and most important fighters of the post-Mayweather era. For long-time fans frustrated by the frequent failure of top boxers to face each other over the past 25 years, this matchup feels like a welcome change.
“This is so huge for boxing,” Canelo stated. “I’m glad to be involved with these kinds of fights that so many people can see. Everybody has Netflix.”
Half an hour later, in a room nearby, Crawford was even more reserved while going through the same line of interviews. Both fighters still had a press conference later that afternoon. Their lack of energy is understandable; the entire group had been in Saudi Arabia just 48 hours earlier, then flew to New York for this event at Fanatics Fest, and were set to travel to Las Vegas for the final stop on Friday.
For them, this is strictly business, and a recent photo suggests fans prefer it that way.
A picture posted the previous Friday by Turki Alalshikh, the man most instrumental in making this fight happen, caused significant annoyance among fans. The photo showed Alalshikh at the head of a dinner table with Crawford and Alvarez seated across from each other. Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia`s General Entertainment Authority and president of Saudi boxing, had invited them for a Middle Eastern dinner to celebrate the tour kickoff. When the picture circulated over the weekend, many fight fans expressed displeasure, complaining that Crawford and Canelo looked too friendly dining together.
Combat sports fans can have quite rigid ideas about how fighters should promote, compete, and interact afterward. Leading up to a fight, boxers are expected to despise each other, with mandatory, hostile stare-downs. On fight night, they should barely contain their aggression before the violence begins. The fight itself is expected to be a constant display of fireworks, with blood often welcomed. Once the fight concludes, the fighters are expected to come together, shake hands, perhaps even hug, and show respect to the opposing team.
Dinner before a major fight? Apparently, outrageous.
However, this reaction seems quite unfair. NFL players try fiercely to tackle their former college teammates for three hours on Sundays, then exchange jerseys afterward. A bitter NHL playoff series invariably ends with a handshake line and congratulations. Both Canelo and Crawford are elite fighters and probably deserve the benefit of the doubt that they can share a dinner and still try to beat each other severely two months later.
That said, both fighters admitted that having dinner together felt a bit awkward. They had shared a meal many years ago when they were in very different weight classes. Crawford was once the undisputed 135-pound champion and is now moving up two weight classes from 154 to 168 pounds to face Alvarez. Their first dinner seemed like a meeting of two superstar ships destined to pass in the night.
Yet, here they are. On Sunday, both fighters confirmed they had never had dinner with an opponent before and wouldn`t be doing it again anytime soon. Crawford, who had already eaten, spent the hour politely nibbling on food. Canelo also ate little and confessed that he spent the entire time thinking about punching Crawford on September 13. “I don’t really like this kind of thing,” he told me. “I don’t like to be involved with my opponents. But let me tell you something: I saw him and I really want to punish him. I was thinking, I am going to f*** this guy up.”
Alvarez wore his sunglasses when he said this, but somehow, his planned bad intentions for September 13 still seemed clear.
The press conference began an hour later with Michael Buffer on stage. At 80 years old, he still looked quite distinguished and maintained his famous presence. Fans occasionally drowned him out, but when he started his “Are you ready?” spiel leading up to “Let’s get ready to rumble,” he still sounded powerful and impactful.
The crowd was loud and engaged for the entire 30-minute event. Crawford had a noticeable minority of vocal supporters, but it was primarily a Canelo crowd, as is common in boxing. Canelo is 34 now and made his professional debut two years before the iPhone was invented. He has been a main event fighter, known for his devastating body shots, since around 2010. That`s how he`s earned over $500 million as a professional boxer, allowing him to afford the expensive watch, and has gained his massive following.
Crawford came out first, largely receiving jeers mixed with some cheers. He is an equally remarkable athlete, having defeated all 41 boxers he`s faced. His undefeated record somehow feels like an understatement of his skill. On the very rare occasions he has been hit hard, it often seems like an anomaly, as if he must have slipped or been distracted. He rarely appears vulnerable.
Canelo entered a minute later, still wearing his sunglasses as he sat down. Buffer’s introduction was completely overwhelmed by the cheering crowd. The entrances clearly went to Canelo.
However, Crawford seemed to win the press conference itself. He didn`t speak much, but his words were impactful, similar to his strategic approach in the ring. At one point, Alvarez asked Alalshikh to make the ring smaller for the fight so Crawford couldn`t move away. Crawford immediately fired back, “The only running I’m going to do is upside his head. And he has a big head, too.”
White and the fighters took questions for about 15 minutes before the press conference concluded with the announcement of a faceoff. White, arguably the foremost fighter-separator in combat sports history, stood in the center of the stage. Looking sturdy in a Canelo vs. Crawford T-shirt, he demonstrated his practiced ability to hold his hands up in a way that kept the fighters close enough for photos but far enough apart to prevent an unscheduled brawl before the actual fight.
The tables were quickly cleared, and the fighters exited opposite sides of the stage. These stare-downs would be repeated multiple times over the next six weeks, giving the repeated theatrical displays a feel akin to pro wrestling. Canelo and Crawford had just sat calmly 20 feet apart for 30 minutes; now, they were expected to walk offstage, then march back across to chest-bump with apparent rage – perhaps to appease those angered by the dinner photo.
The fighters strode to the middle, with White positioned between them. But Crawford bypassed White and moved directly into Canelo`s personal space. For the first time all day, Canelo’s sunglasses were off. The two exchanged words for about five seconds, and then Canelo delivered a solid push. Crawford lunged back towards him, and White tried to keep them separated. White showed a genuine look of alarm during the brief tussle, though most observers felt the whole thing resembled a staged WWE scuffle meant to sell the fight. While that might be true, the intensity in the room felt real.
The two fighters were separated but then returned together for a second faceoff. This one lasted a good 20 seconds, and White eventually relaxed his arms slightly in the middle. He held up the Ring Magazine belt, which the company claims cost $188,000 to produce, while Crawford and Canelo remained locked in intense eye contact.
Alvarez stood still during the photo opportunity. His left hand was at his side, and his right hand was slightly raised and clenched, ready to strike if necessary. With his sunglasses off, it was clear that any future dinner invitations with his opponent were completely off the table.