Ever since MMA in the United States came into existence in 1993, there has been a debate on how it stacks up against the sport of boxing. Owing to boxing’s older prestige and a larger list of legends like Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, and Joe Frazier, many have argued that MMA will never be as big as the sweet science. However, in recent years, this trend has shifted a bit with the UFC making big leaps and now sits as the biggest combat sports organisation in the world. An argument on this age-old topic went underway at the latest Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford presser, with the Mexican legend backing his sport.
Canelo Alvarez Insists Boxing Will Always Outshine the UFC
For the unversed, Alvarez will defend his undisputed super middleweight title against Terence Crawford in what is being billed as the fight of the century on September 13 in Las Vegas. Ahead of the event, both fighters, along with UFC CEO Dana White, who is promoting the event alongside Saudi GEA head honcho Turki Alalshikh, appeared at the pre-fight press conference.
During the press conference, boxing commentator and analyst Max Kellerman praised White, even suggesting he could fix the sport.
He praised the UFC President and said, “Dana White is the greatest combat sports promoter in my lifetime,” Kellerman said of the UFC boss. He built an institution.”
Kellerman then took shots at boxing and weighed in on its decrease in popularity, as compared to the 1980s and 1990s.
He continued, “You know why boxing’s not as popular as it used to be anymore, right? UFC is really popular. That’s because of Dana White. He built something like the NBA. He’s about to do it for boxing again, for boxing now. You want an NBA or an NFL in boxing? Here it comes.”
This is when things took an interesting turn as Alvarez, who disputed the analyst’s claims. “The Mexican legend said, Hey Max, boxing is always bigger. Bigger and bigger. Don’t say boxing is not big enough. Boxing is big. You know how big is boxing. Maybe it’s going to be bigger, but look, boxing is always big, and big, and bigger, and bigger.”
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He concluded his argument by adding, “Boxing is boxing. Respect for other sports. Great job and everything, but boxing is boxing.” Moreover, even Crawford agreed with his Mexican counterpart and added a couple of “no lies” to the mix. All this while, Dana White could be seen standing in the background with a smile on his face.
The debate between UFC and boxing will continue, but one thing is certain: Alvarez is cashing in. Turki Alalshikh revealed that the Mexican is set to earn more than $100 million for his showdown with Crawford, part of a three-fight deal tied to Riyadh Season.
This weekend’s bout marks the second fight of that contract, following Alvarez’s underwhelming unanimous decision win over William Scull. At the final press conference, Alalshikh also confirmed that Alvarez would become the first Mexican athlete to earn a guaranteed $100 million.
On the other hand, Dana White has recently faced criticism for his push into boxing and TKO’s backing of the Ali American Boxing Revival Act, which seeks to roll back portions of the Ali Act to allow boxing promotion to operate more like MMA.
During the presser, White even shut down a reporter who asked about TKO’s attempts to nullify the Ali Act altogether. How this ambitious crossover unfolds will be closely watched by fans and industry insiders alike when it goes down at the Allegiant Stadium this weekend.
