Canelo Alvarez to face Terence Crawford in Riyadh Season Las Vegas showdown

Saul “Canelo” Alvarez will face off against Terence Crawford on Sept. 13 in Las Vegas. (Supplied)
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Updated 10 June 2025
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Canelo Alvarez to face Terence Crawford in Riyadh Season Las Vegas showdown

  • Fight between 2 of boxing’s biggest generational athletes will be streamed on Netflix
  • They will compete for the unified Super Middleweight championship on Sept. 13

LONDON: Saul “Canelo” Alvarez will face off against Terence Crawford on Sept. 13 in Las Vegas, Turki Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority and president of the Saudi Boxing Federation, and Dana White, CEO of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, have announced.

The highly anticipated fight between two of boxing’s biggest generational athletes will be streamed on Netflix for more than 300 million subscribers on the platform.

White, Alashikh and Saudi events firm Sela will collaborate to promote the event, which is part of Riyadh Season.

The showdown will be promoted through a promotional tour with stops in Riyadh on June 20, New York City on June 22 and Las Vegas on June 27.

The venue for the fight in Las Vegas, scheduled for September, will be announced at a later date. The boxers will compete for the unified Super Middleweight championship.

Alalshikh said on Tuesday: “Canelo and Crawford, two legends of boxing, will finally compete against each other in the fight of the century.”

Dana White described the anticipated fight in Las Vegas as historic. He added: “Turki wants to make the biggest fights that the fans want to see in boxing and this is right up my alley ... it’s literally a once in a lifetime fight.”

Mexican star Canelo is ready to prove he is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. “I’m super happy to be making history again and this time on a Riyadh Season card that will be broadcast on Netflix,” he said.

Crawford, the undefeated American superstar, is confident that his record speaks for itself. “I am the best fighter in the world and no matter the opponent or weight class, I have always come out on top,” he said.

“On Sept. 13, my hand will be raised once again as the world watches greatness,” Crawford told fans.


Jordan make history as they reach Arab Cup final for first time with narrow victory over Saudi Arabia

Updated 15 December 2025
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Jordan make history as they reach Arab Cup final for first time with narrow victory over Saudi Arabia

  • Green Falcons left to rue squandered chances as they miss out on what would have been their first final appearance in the competition since 2002
  • Semi-final victory comes during a stellar year for Jordan in which they also qualified for the World Cup for the first time ever

DOHA: A header by Nizar Al-Rashdan gave Jordan a 1-0 victory in a tense match against Saudi Arabia on Monday and sent them to their first Arab Cup final.

Deprived of the services of Yazan Al-Naimat, who suffered a devastating knee injury in their quarter-final against Iraq, Jordan delivered a brave performance, greatly limiting the Saudi attacking threat across the 90 minutes.

The semi-final at Al-Bayt Stadium in Qatar attracted the highest attendance of the tournament so far, a vibrant crowd of 62,825. Both sides began cautiously, with Jordan lining up in a robust 5-4-1 formation that sought to restrict Salem Al-Dawsari and Saleh Abou Al-Shamat in the final third.

The game opened up a little after the break, as a tactical change from Jordan helped them gain greater control on the counterattack. Mohammed Abu Zrayq in particular proved influential down the right flank as he stretched the Saudi defense and gave the Nashama more attacking momentum.

The decisive moment, however, came from the opposite side. Mahmoud Al-Mardi delivered a dipping cross from the left, catching the Green Falcons’ defense off guard, and Al-Rashdan rose to head home the only goal of the match in the 66th minute.

Saudi Arabia responded with a series of substitutions, including the introduction of Al-Qadsiah midfielder Musab Al-Juwayr. The former Al-Hilal player helped link play between Al-Dawsari and Feras Al-Brikan down the left channel as the Saudis pressed for the equalizer.

Al-Brikan and then Saleh Al-Shehri both went close but Yazeed Abulaila stood firm in goal, producing a crucial save just minutes after Jordan took the lead.

The match ended on a particularly sour note for Saudi Arabia when last man Waleed Al-Ahmed was shown a straight red card in the closing moments after bringing down an opponent to halt a counterattack, as Jordan saw out their historic victory.

They now face Morocco, who earlier in the day defeated the UAE 3-0, in the final on Thursday.