The countdown for a historical contest as fight week begins for the most anticipated boxing match of the year.
Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and Terrence Crawford go toe-to-toe in Las Vegas at the Allegiant Stadium.
The King of the Middleweights takes on the King of the Welterweights as the Undisputed & Ring Magazine Super Middleweight Championship is on the line.
Here is what you need to know about the highly thrilling 12-round war which takes place on Saturday.
Conquered Collection of Undefeated Fighters
With 67 professional fights in his Boxing career, Canelo has faced all the competition possible.
The Mexican holds 63 victories, and while he has suffered two draws and two defeats, he has never been knocked down.
However, the most impressive statistic about the IBF, WBC, and WBO World Super Middleweight Champion is the number of 0’s he has taken from other boxers.
This all started with his first title triumph back in March 2011, when he won the WBC World Super Welterweight belt.
Before his first professional loss, Alvarez took the zero off Austin Trout’s record, making it his sixth successful world title defence.
Over three years later, Canelo stopped Liam Smith’s perfect record with a ninth-round knockout.
In his move up to Middleweight, there are plenty of fighters who have suffered the wrath of the Guadalajara-born boxer.
The names include: Gennadiy Golovkin, Callum Smith, Billy Joe Saunders, Caleb Plant, Jaime Munguia, Edgar Berlanga, and William Scull.
The Mexican fighter has not lost since his unanimous decision defeat to Dmitry Bivol back in May 2022.
It’s worth noting that while Canelo is an impressive boxer, he is not a big knockout artist.
The King of the Middleweights has only 39 KO/TKO wins and has gone the distance in his last seven battles.
Due to his supremacy in the 168-pound division, Alvarez will be a likely favourite heading into this wild bout.
A Path of Dangerous Destruction
Undefeated with 41 victories, Crawford was always going to be a star in the boxing scene.
The Nebraska boxer has only gone the distance 10 times in his professional career, securing 31 knockouts.
While his opponent started at Welterweight, ‘Bud’ began at 135 pounds, making a sudden rise to where he is now.
But what makes Crawford so impressive is the continuing stoppages he earns from moving up weight classes.
The Omaha-born fighter first became the WBO World Lightweight Champion back in March 2013.
Surprisingly, that was the last time he fought outside of America, winning the title in Glasgow against Ricky Burns.
In his title run at Super Lightweight in April 2015, six of Crwaford’s seven wins ended with a stoppage.
At 147 pounds, the undefeated boxer was more powerful and dangerous, stopping every opponent by knockout with eight title triumphs.
Remarkably, Crawford went the distance in his last bout, winning by unanimous decision against Israil Madrimov.
It’s worth mentioning that 15 of his last 20 fights have ended with a stoppage.
The Nebraska fighter has yet to taste defeat, which will give him confidence heading into this 12-round bout.
However, there will be pressure on him with his perfect record still on the line, likely making him an underdog; yet, it does seem he has the better chance of winning by knockout.
Netflix streams blockbuster showdown
If 65,000 people attending the event was a lot, Netflix will potentially have eight or nine figures of viewers streaming this event.
Last November, Netflix streamed their first boxing event, Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson, which received 108 million viewers.
Boxing fans won’t have to pay the box office or PPV, as they can purchase a monthly Netflix subscription.
It costs £4.99, with ads, for the subscription; if viewers prefer no ads, it simply costs £7.99.
The Undercard
While the headliner will bring the attention, Netflix is streaming the main card as well, not the prelims.
In the co-main event, Callum Walsh faces Fernando Vargas Jr as both undefeated boxers aim to make a statement in such a big event.
Christian Mbilli puts his Interim World Super Middleweight Championship on the line against Lester Martinez.
Undefeated prospect, Mohammed Alakel, goes toe-to-toe with Californian boxer, John Ornelas, in a 10-round Lightweight battle.