White in fiery exchange with reporter in Vegas
UFC chief Dana White's fiery exchange with a reporter about his new role in boxing threatened to overshadow a news conference for the super-fight between Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez and Terence Crawford.
Mexican Alvarez, 35, will put his WBA (Super), WBC, WBO and IBF super-middleweight titles on the line against Crawford at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Saturday.
Omaha-native Crawford, 37, is jumping up two weight classes in a bid to become the first male boxer to become undisputed champion in three divisions in the modern era.
In front of a fiercely pro-Alvarez crowd, the pair went through the usual news conference motions, a mixture of respect and declarations of victory.
But the mood turned sharper when focus turned towards White, who was chairing proceedings and promoting his first boxing event since announcing his Saudi Arabian-backed venture into the sport.
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Questions raised about the Muhammad Ali Act – a 2000 US law designed to protect boxers' rights and combat potential monopolies – sparked a fiery response from White.
"This is obviously a long discussion. If you want to talk about that then set up an interview. This isn't about me," White said.
When the reporter, Sean Zittel, persisted, White cut him short: "You have a question for these two, no? Beat it."
White is spearheading a push to amend the act, which does not apply to MMA, allowing the UFC to make their own world titles.
Critics argue White's UFC model in boxing would restrict fighters with exclusive contracts, create a monopoly and leaves boxers earning a far smaller share of event revenue.
As the reporter pressed White, Alvarez chanted "fight, fight, fight".
The stars talk, but the noise takes over
About 1,500 fans – including British rapper Stormzy and boxing legend Lennox Lewis – packed into the T-Mobile Arena, just a short walk from Saturday's venue.
A partisan crowd held up Mexican flags and chanted "Canelo" from the moment Alvarez walked on stage and he soaked up the adulation.
"This fight for me is big. One of the biggest fights in my career. It means a lot. It's going to be very top," he said.
Alvarez dismissed any suggestion of fighting Crawford a year ago, citing the size difference. But he agreed with an assessment of it being a 50-50 contest.
"I think they right. Two of the best fighting each other. They right," he said.
Crawford – who last fought 13 months ago when he beat Israil Madrimov to win a world title in a fourth division – was unmoved by the noise in the arena.
"I'm feeling great. I am ready to go shock the world," he said. He even riled up the crowd by shouting out to his "Latino fans", adding: "This fight is going to be stamped in the history books."
Crawford, with 41 wins and 31 knockouts, won his first world title in 2014 at lightweight against Scotsman Ricky Burns. He went on to unify the light-welterweight and welterweight divisions before moving up again.
Saturday's bout will be broadcast globally on Netflix, reaching a potential audience of more than 300 million subscribers.
It is the first major boxing event promoted by White alongside Saudi's Turki Alalshikh, signalling a new, if uncertain, era for the sport.
As organisers hyped up the new partnership as the saviour of the sport and suggested boxing has been suffering for years, one of its biggest stars – and highest earners with a reported $ 150m purse to collect on Saturday – Alvarez, chimed in.
"Hey, boxing was always bigger, bigger and big. Don't say boxing is not big enough. You know how big is boxing," he said.
Alvarez pushed Crawford as tempers flared at in New York in June, but the two shared a nod and handshake to end on a respectful note.
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