Canelo Alvarez, Terence Crawford share compliments in final stop of media tour for Sept. 13 bout
LAS VEGAS (AP) — No trash talk necessary.
That was Friday's message from Terence Crawford and Canelo Alvarez, both complimentary of one another while downplaying a shoving incident in New York earlier this month during the media tour for their blockbuster match on Sept. 13 at Allegiant Stadium.
The fight for the unified super middleweight championship is part of Alvarez's reported $400 million, minimum four-fight deal with Riyadh Season.
'You can see how big is this fight,' Alvarez said inside of a crammed dressing room at T-Mobile Arena before the official press conference began in front of thousands of fans. 'I'm glad to be involved in these big fights. And you know, Crawford is one of the best fighters in the last decade, and I'm glad to be here.
'These big fights don't need to talk (expletive) about each other. That's what I think.'
Crawford, meanwhile, addressed why he pushed Alvarez in New York, saying he 'heard some things (he) didn't like,' but took the high road in sharing his excitement for what will be the biggest fight of his career.
'I don't even know the last time I've been this excited for a fight,' said Crawford, who held court with media members in the bowels of the arena on a loading dock. 'September 13, it's going to be a great night of boxing.'
Friday marked the final stop of a three-city tour to market the event, which saw cooler heads prevail
during the faceoff
at T-Mobile Arena.
Riyadh Season is working with UFC CEO Dana White to promote the fight, which supplanted UNLV football's home opener against Idaho State.
Earlier in the day, UNLV announced the game would shift to August 23, with first-year coach Dan Mullen making his program debut in what is now the Rebels' season-opener in Week 0.
'The World Championship Boxing Match is important to Las Vegas, and the impact it will have on tourism is unmatched,' UNLV's director of athletics Erick Harper said in a statement.
The long-awaited showdown between two of the greatest boxers since the turn of the century will be the first combat event inside the home of the NFL's Raiders.
'Listen, this is the one,' Crawford said. 'God don't make no mistakes. It's the reason why he waited all this time to put me on this stage with another all-time great like Canelo.
'Two Hall of Famers going head to head in one of the biggest events in the last 20 years. I'm looking forward to it.'
It's
White's first venture into boxing,
and quite a statement in becoming a major player in the sport.
Alvarez (63-2-2) unified the division with a unanimous decision victory over William Scull in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on May 3, with Crawford (41-0) in attendance.
Crawford said it's been a longtime coming, and the jump to 168 pounds to meet Canelo has been on his mind since moving from 147 to 154 pounds.
'I don't think any fighter has went from 147 to 168 to fight pound-for-pound a top five fighter like Canelo in the history of the sport of boxing,' Crawford said. 'Everything impressed me about Canelo. I'm a big Canelo fan.
'This is business. Like I said in the last press conference, I'm coming to take everything you got.'
Said Alvarez: 'He's a good fighter. He have everything. He's a complete fighter. He have a large experience. He's a great fighter. I never underestimate my opponents. I always train like I'm gonna fight Mike Tyson in his era. '
___
AP boxing:
https://apnews.com/hub/boxing
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
10 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
France top scorer Eugénie Le Sommer joins Mexican club Toluca
TOLUCA, Mexico (AP) — France all-time leading scorer Eugénie Le Sommer has signed a contract to play for Mexican club Toluca, where she will reunite with former Lyon coach Patrice Lair. The 36-year-old forward parted ways with Lyon in May after 15 seasons and wasn't chosen for the national team for the Women's European Championship. Toluca, located near Mexico City, said late Friday that Le Sommer has joined for the upcoming Liga MX Apertura season. Le Sommer's former France and Lyon teammate Amandine Henry also plays for Toluca. The defensive midfielder joined last year. Le Sommer has scored 94 international goals in 200 appearances for France. She posted a broken heart emoji on her Instagram page when she wasn't selected for the Euro 2025 squad. ___
San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Wimbledon 2025: Coco Gauff is just 21 but already thinking about what to do after tennis
LONDON (AP) — To be clear, Coco Gauff didn't bring up the word 'star' during a recent interview with The Associated Press; the reporter did. So as Gauff began to answer a question about balancing her life as a professional athlete with her off-court interests, she caught herself repeating that term. 'I definitely didn't know how it would look like,' she began with a smile, 'before I got to be, I guess, a star — feels weird to call myself that — but I definitely did want to expand outside of tennis. Always. Since I was young.' She still is young, by just about any measure, and she is a really good tennis player — Gauff owns the Grand Slam titles and No. 2 ranking to prove it as she heads into Wimbledon, which begins Monday — but the 21-year-old American is also more than that. Someone unafraid to express her opinions about societal issues. Someone who connects with fans via social media. Someone who is the highest-paid female athlete in any sport, topping $30 million last year, according to with less than a third of that from prize money and most via deals with companies such as UPS, New Balance, Rolex and Barilla. Someone who recently launched her own management firm. And someone who wants to succeed in the business world long after she no longer swings a racket on tour. 'It's definitely something that I want to start to step up for post-career. Kind of start building that process, which is why I wanted to do it early. Because I didn't want to feel like I was playing catch-up at the end of my career,' said Gauff, who will face Dayana Yastremska in the first round at the All England Club on Tuesday. 'On the business side of things, it doesn't come as natural as tennis feels. I'm still learning, and I have a lot to learn about," Gauff said. "I've debated different things and what paths I wanted to take when it came to just stimulating my brain outside of the court, because I always knew that once I finished high school that I needed to put my brain into something else.' In a campaign announced this week by UPS, which first partnered with Gauff in 2023 before she won that year's U.S. Open, she connects with business coach Emma Grede — known for working with Kim Kardashian on Skims, and with Khloe Kardashian on Good American — to offer mentoring to three small-business owners. 'Coco plays a key role in helping us connect with those younger Gen-Z business owners — emerging or younger entrepreneurs,' Betsy Wilson, VP of digital marketing and brand activation at UPS, said in a phone interview. 'Obviously, she's very relevant in social media and in culture, and working with Coco helps us really connect with that younger group.' While Grede helped the entrepreneurs, Gauff also got the opportunity to pick up tips. 'It's really cool to learn from someone like her,' Gauff said. 'Whenever I feel like I'm ready to make that leap, I can definitely reach out to her for advice and things like that. ... This will help me right now and definitely in the long term.'
Hamilton Spectator
an hour ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Wimbledon 2025: Coco Gauff is just 21 but already thinking about what to do after tennis
LONDON (AP) — To be clear, Coco Gauff didn't bring up the word 'star' during a recent interview with The Associated Press; the reporter did. So as Gauff began to answer a question about balancing her life as a professional athlete with her off-court interests, she caught herself repeating that term. 'I definitely didn't know how it would look like,' she began with a smile, 'before I got to be, I guess, a star — feels weird to call myself that — but I definitely did want to expand outside of tennis. Always. Since I was young.' She still is young, by just about any measure, and she is a really good tennis player — Gauff owns the Grand Slam titles and No. 2 ranking to prove it as she heads into Wimbledon , which begins Monday — but the 21-year-old American is also more than that. Someone unafraid to express her opinions about societal issues . Someone who connects with fans via social media . Someone who is the highest-paid female athlete in any sport, topping $30 million last year, according to , with less than a third of that from prize money and most via deals with companies such as UPS, New Balance, Rolex and Barilla. Someone who recently launched her own management firm . And someone who wants to succeed in the business world long after she no longer swings a racket on tour. 'It's definitely something that I want to start to step up for post-career. Kind of start building that process, which is why I wanted to do it early. Because I didn't want to feel like I was playing catch-up at the end of my career,' said Gauff, who will face Dayana Yastremska in the first round at the All England Club on Tuesday. 'On the business side of things, it doesn't come as natural as tennis feels. I'm still learning, and I have a lot to learn about,' Gauff said. 'I've debated different things and what paths I wanted to take when it came to just stimulating my brain outside of the court, because I always knew that once I finished high school that I needed to put my brain into something else.' In a campaign announced this week by UPS, which first partnered with Gauff in 2023 before she won that year's U.S. Open , she connects with business coach Emma Grede — known for working with Kim Kardashian on Skims, and with Khloe Kardashian on Good American — to offer mentoring to three small-business owners. 'Coco plays a key role in helping us connect with those younger Gen-Z business owners — emerging or younger entrepreneurs,' Betsy Wilson, VP of digital marketing and brand activation at UPS, said in a phone interview. 'Obviously, she's very relevant in social media and in culture, and working with Coco helps us really connect with that younger group.' While Grede helped the entrepreneurs, Gauff also got the opportunity to pick up tips. 'It's really cool to learn from someone like her,' Gauff said. 'Whenever I feel like I'm ready to make that leap, I can definitely reach out to her for advice and things like that. ... This will help me right now and definitely in the long term.' ___ Howard Fendrich has been the AP's tennis writer since 2002. Find his stories here: . More AP tennis:
