Location, Location, Location: Canelo-Crawford trying to move on to Vegas’ biggest stage

By Norm Frauenheim

It’s on the calendar. It’s on the Netflix schedule. It’s on our mind and in our conversations. 

Canelo Álvarez-Terence Crawford is everywhere but on the map. Las Vegas is the destination. But an intriguing fight, moved around and shopped around for weeks, was still without an address Thursday.

By all accounts, the traveling show wants to land at Vegas’ newest showcase. Allegiant Arena and its 65,000 seats beckon for a Sept. 13 fight compelling because it matches two of the biggest names from different weight classes in a bout that’ll determine the best in a passing generation. Crawford or Canelo? It’s worth watching for lots of reasons. Guess here, lots of people will.

Canelo and Crawford “will finally compete against each other in the fight of the century,” Saudi Prince and primary promoter Turki Alalshikh said in a prepared statement

There have been more than a few of those over the last decade. But you get the idea. A fight sold as the best in a century can’t be staged in a modest setting. It belongs on a big stage. The biggest. In today’s Vegas, that’s Allegiant.

What seems to be simple enough, however, isn’t. Remember, this is boxing, where it’s always hard to connect the dots. 

Here’s why: For now, Allegiant is booked on Sept. 13 with a Nevada-Las Vegas’ home football game against Idaho State. It’s been booked for that date for months. Initially, Canelo-Crawford was going to Allegiant the night before, Friday Sept. 12. But Saturday was thought to be a better fit for the size and potential impact of Canelo-Crawford, an all-time welterweight great and new junior-middleweight against a generational great at super-middle.

After talk of Dallas, Los Angeles and other locales, Vegas became the destination, mostly because of Canelo, who is coming off a dull victory over William Scull in front of a dull crowd in Riyadh on a May weekend when Canelo has traditionally entertained his Mexican partisans on Cinco de Mayo. 

Reportedly, Canelo told Alalshikh that he wanted to go back to his home away from home, this time for another traditional date celebrating Mexican Independence. Canelo gets what he wants. So, Vegas, it is.

But Canelo’s clout within boxing circles might not be there in college football. UNLV is coming off an 11-win season. It is enjoying more momentum than it has in years. Put it this way: The Rebels, who have a renewed future and a new coach in ex-Florida head coach and ESPN commentator Dan Mullen, seem to be growing into their new home. 

They drew 139,747 fans over six games last season, a 28-percent increase from 2023. By SEC standards, that’s still small, but for UNLV it’s the kind of momentum the school might not want to interrupt with a schedule change. Reportedly, Alalshikh and promotional partner Dana White are trying to get UNLV to move off the date. 

According to a lot of media reports, White, the UFC chief, is promoting his first boxing show. In classic terms, perhaps that’s accurate. But White did promote Floyd Mayweather Jr. against then UFC star Conor McGregor in August 2017 at Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena. 

It was sanctioned as boxing. Mayweather’s predictable victory — a 10th-round stoppage — added a Rocky Marciano milestone to his official record, putting him at 50-and-0. White knows boxing. Knows mixed martial arts. Above all, he knows promoting.

But boxing and college football are from different cultures. Let’s just say that chaos and control might face each other at the bargaining table, if in fact UNLV is even thinking about moving out of Allegiant on Sept. 13 for a different date or alternate site against Idaho State. 

The game doesn’t figure to be a big draw early in a season full of lofty expectations for UNLV, ranked No. 23 in the Associated Press’ final 2024 poll. But college football is about routine for players/coaches and familiarity for a growing fan base.

Maybe, there will be enough Saudi money for UNLV to move off the date, perhaps to Sept. 12, the day initially planned for Canelo-Crawford. When UNLV announced its updated football schedule in May, one Allegiant game against Hawaii had been moved from a Saturday to Friday, Nov. 22 to Nov. 21.  According to UNLV’s current schedule, a kickoff time against Idaho State has yet to be scheduled, perhaps subject to television.

Amid today’s NIL — Name, Image, Likeness — revolution in college football, Saudi money might be able to secure the services of some prep quarterback seeking seven figures before he moves on to the NFL pay scale.

Then again, maybe not. 

UNLV could tell Canelo-Crawford to go somewhere else. Turns out, there is somewhere else. 

Canelo, Crawford and White could go back to T-Mobile, still available Sept. 13 and reliably familiar, yet somehow not quite as monumental as all of the promise attached to one fight.




The Eighth Annual Box Fan Expo RETURNS! Saturday September 13, 2025 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV

Las Vegas (June 11, 2025) – WE ARE BACK!!! The Box Fan Expo has announced its return to Las Vegas and its Eighth Annual Box Fan Expo for fans and the boxing industry. The event will return to the Las Vegas Convention Center on Saturday September 13, 2025, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. during Mexican Independence Day weekend. The Boxing Expo will also coincide with the mega fight between Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford, that will take place later that evening in Las Vegas.

The Box Fan Expo is an annual fan experience event that coincides with some of the sports’ legendary, classic fights in Las Vegas, including Mayweather vs. Maidana II, Mayweather vs. Berto, Canelo vs. Chavez Jr., Canelo vs. GGG II, Canelo vs. Jacobs, Canelo vs. GGG III and Canelo vs Munguia. 

The Box Fan Expo is thrilled to open its doors to boxing fans from all over the world, as well to all major boxing companies, promoters and industry people during this Mexican holiday weekend. 

Centered in boxing’s long-time home – Las Vegas – this year’s Expo is a must-do for fight fans coming in for this legendary weekend, with dozens of professional fighters, promoters, and companies involved in the boxing industry. The Expo is the largest and only Boxing Fan Expo held in the United States. A full day of boxing fan experience awaits you! https://boxfanexpo.com – @BoxFanExpo  

Tickets to the Box Fan Expo are available online at

https://bit.ly/BOXFANEXPO2025

The Last Box Fan Expo that took place in 2024 was another huge success. Boxing fans from all over the globe had a chance to meet and greet some of their favorite fighters, including current and former world champions, top fighters of today, and many of the boxing celebrities such as Roberto Duran, Roy Jones Jr., Lennox Lewis, Juan Manuel Marquez, Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, Teofimo Lopez, Edgar Berlanga, Claressa Shields, Rolando Romero, Oscar Valdez, Fernando Vargas, Riddick Bowe, Franchón Crews-Dezurn, Vinny Paz, Chiquita Gonzalez, Jessie Vargas, Nico Ali Walsh, Mia St. John and many others …

Those fighters plus more boxing celebrities took pictures, signed autographs for their fans who attended the Box Fan Expo. Fans also had an opportunity to purchase merchandise and memorabilia from fighters and companies involved with the sport of boxing.

Supporting Amateur Boxing 

The Box Fan Expo also played host to the fourth edition of “Box Fan Expo Invitational 2024”. This was an incredible amateur show which showcased several highly ranked and top USA amateur boxers who competed against the best in their division and more importantly in front of all the boxing fans that attended the meet and greet at the Expo. Those invited to compete had a chance to get huge exposure and get noticed by top boxing companies as well as industry people that were present that day during the event. 

The event also honored Barry’s Boxing Center which was founded by Pat and Dawn Barry, with a mission to help the youth of the Las Vegas community, on their path of physical and moral excellence. Barry’s Boxing Center is an environment that exemplifies the values of hard work, and respect. It gives the youths a safe place to go during critical out-of-school hours. In affiliation and coordination with USA Boxing, Barry’s Boxing center persist and insist on promoting safety in boxing as well as the development and encouragement of young men and women in their pursuit of excellence in the sport of boxing both in and out of the ring.

About Box Fan Expo

Box Fan Expo is the ultimate boxing fan experience event, which allows fans to meet the stars of boxing that represent the past, present and future of the sport. With hosted autograph signings, meet-and-greets with current and former boxing world champions, limited edition merchandise for sale, giveaways and more, this is the ultimate event for fans of the sport. 

Past boxing stars that have participated include: Floyd Mayweather, Mike Tyson, Roberto Duran, Lennox Lewis, Julio Cesar Chavez, Roy Jones Jr., Juan Manuel Marquez, Sugar Ray Leonard, Tommy Hearns, Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, David Benavidez, Teofimo Lopez, Andre Ward, Ryan Garcia, Claressa Shields, Fernando Vargas, Edgar Berlanga, Oscar Valdez, Marcos Maidana, Devin Haney, Mikey Garcia, Errol Spence Jr, Rolando Romero, Sergio Martinez, Tim Bradley, Jose Ramirez, Shawn Porter, Keith Thurman, Danny Garcia, Deontay Wilder, Amir Khan, Abner Mares, James Toney, Jessie Vargas, Floyd Mayweather sr., Vinny Paz, Mia St. John, Franchón Crews-Dezurn, Seniesa Estrada, Jorge Linares, Leo Santa Cruz, Chiquita Gonzalez, Badou Jack, Nico Ali Walsh, Terry Norris, Riddick Bowe, Earnie Shavers, Michael & Leon Spinks, Brandon Rios, Anthony Dirrell, Danny Jacobs and many more…

Exhibitors include boxing promoters, gear, apparel, equipment, energy drinks, supplement products, broadcasting media, sanctioning bodies, and other companies who showcase their brand to fans and the boxing industry as a whole.

Throughout the next few months leading up to the Event, there will be weekly updates on the many stars that will commit their appearance at the Boxing Expo.

Tickets to the Box Fan Expo are available at Eventbrite:

https://bit.ly/BOXFANEXPO2025

To request information on exhibiting and sponsorship at the Expo:

For media credentials:

 Contact us:

 Telephone number: (702) 997-1927 or (514) 572-7222

 For any inquiries please email: boxfanexpo@gmail.com

 More information on Box Fan Expo visit: http://www.boxfanexpo.com

 Follow Box Fan Expo on Twitter and Instagram at: @BoxFanExpo

 Follow Box Fan Expo on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/BoxFanExpo




CANELO ÁLVAREZ TO FACE TERENCE CRAWFORD IN BLOCKBUSTER RIYADH SEASON SHOWDOWN SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13 IN LAS VEGAS, STREAMING LIVE GLOBALLY ON NETFLIX

HE Turki Alalshikh, Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority and President of the Saudi Boxing Federation, today confirmed the blockbuster Riyadh Season showdown between pound-for-pound great Saul “Canelo” Álvarez (62-2-2, 39 KOs) and undefeated superstar Terence Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) will take place in Las Vegas on Saturday, September 13.

Alalshikh and his Riyadh Season team will collaborate with Dana White and Sela to promote this highly anticipated contest for the unified Super Middleweight championship with Netflix streaming live globally to its 300+ million subscribers at no additional cost.

Ahead of this epic Saturday fight night, Canelo and Crawford will stage a three-city international press tour, kicking off in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Friday, June 20 before heading to the United States for stops in New York at Fanatics Fest on Sunday, June 22 and in Las Vegas on Friday, June 27. Full details below.

HE Turki Alalshikh said: “On September 13, Canelo and Crawford, two legends of boxing, will finally compete against each other in the fight of the century. Alongside Dana White and Sela, we will deliver something truly incredible in Las Vegas for fans around the world to enjoy through Netflix.”

Dana White said: “Turki wants to make the biggest fights that the fans want to see in boxing and this is right up my alley. Are you kidding me that the first boxing fight I’m going to get to promote is Canelo vs. Crawford? It’s literally a once in a lifetime fight. Live on Saturday, September 13, streaming globally on Netflix, two of the GREATEST boxers in the sport will meet in a historic fight from Las Vegas.”

Canelo Alvarez said: “I’m super happy to be making history again and this time on a Riyadh Season Card that will be broadcast on Netflix. On September 13, I’m ready to show once again that I am the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.”

Terence Crawford said: “My perfect 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. On September 13, my hand will be raised once again as the world watches greatness.”

Press Tour Full Details:
Friday, June 20 – Riyadh
Blvd City, Baker Alshidy Theatre

Sunday, June 22 – New York (Fanatics Fest NYC)
Jacob Javits Convention Center – 429 11th Ave.

Friday, June 27 – Las Vegas
T-Mobile Arena – 3780 S. Las Vegas Blvd.

Members of the media can apply to attend here.

About Riyadh Season
Saudi Arabia’s capital embraces one of the world’s biggest entertainment events every year during winter. Since the launch of Riyadh Season in 2019, the festival has welcomed visitors from all over the world to experience thousands of concerts, sporting activities, and other unique cultural events. Most recently, Riyadh Season 2024 reached a major milestone after the number of visitors for the year exceeded 20 million for the first time.

September’s Las Vegas fight night follows on from a host of memorable boxing showdowns from Riyadh Season including the first undisputed heavyweight title fight of the 21st Century between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, two undisputed light heavyweight title clashes between Artur Beterbiev and Dimitry Bivol, Canelo Alvarez making his Riyadh debut to reclaim the undisputed super-middleweight championship crown against William Scull, Terence Crawford becoming a four-division champion by defeating Israil Madrimov in Los Angeles and Anthony Joshua v Daniel Dubois in front of a record crowd at London’s Wembley Stadium.

About Netflix
Netflix is one of the world’s leading entertainment services, with over 300 million paid memberships in over 190 countries enjoying TV series, films and games across a wide variety of genres and languages. Members can play, pause and resume watching as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, and can change their plans at any time.




Canelo-Crawford: A Fight to be the Face of a Generation

By Norm Frauenheim

Canelo Álvarez and Terence Crawford will share a ring and not much else on a projected day in September. In part, the differences are what make their planned fight so intriguing. 

Canelo has a documented advantage on the scale and perhaps another one among fans. Shifting odds, reported here last week https://www.15rounds.com/2025/03/30/canelo-crawford-interest-builds-as-odds-continue-to-favor-canelo/, suggest the public increasingly favors Canelo.

Then, there are the intangibles, hard to define, nonetheless there on social media in a tireless debate that only figures to get noisier by multiple octaves. 

It’s a fight with a genuine chance to remind us that legacy — rendered irrelevant by overuse — can still mean something. Put it this way: Canelo, bigger and wealthier, is fighting to preserve his; Crawford, smaller and less popular, is fighting to guarantee his own. 

It’s not that simple, of course. It never is amid the inherent chaos sure to happen before any conflict. It’s messy, a drama expected to exasperate and entertain. But the stakes are there, clearcut in a fight between two of the best in their generation. A younger one is emerging. Canelo-Crawford represents a passing-of-the torch, that last major bout for fighters who’ll reunite in Canastota NY at a Hall of Fame induction in about five years. The winner of this one can claim to be the best of his day. In a time that will be remembered for a risk-to-reward ratio and fights that didn’t happen, it just doesn’t get much better than that.

On the scale and their resumes, we know the differences. Crawford is unbeaten at 140, 147 and 154 pounds in a reign that includes undisputed titles at junior-welter and welterweight. Canelo has lost twice, going upscale from 154 to 160, 168 and 175 pounds. 

At 168, it’s safe to argue that nobody has ever been better than Canelo. At 147, there’s an argument that Crawford could have been an all-timer, among the best in the fabled welterweight division, good enough to perhaps be a fifth king in the four-sided rivalry so powerfully captured by the late George Kimball in his book, Four Kings, about Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, Roberto Duran and Thomas Hearns.

The respective arguments are there, an inseparable part of what is also at stake.

For now, Crawford and Canelo enter the ring with only one thing in common: A victory over Amir Khan. On paper, at least, the Khan fights settle nothing. Both Canelo and Crawford scored sixth-round stoppages over Khan, Crawford winning by TKO in April 2019 at welterweight and Canelo by KO in May 2016 at a 155-pound catchweight.

Crawford knocked down and nearly knocked out Khan in the first round. But the fight ended in controversy. After an apparent low blow, Khan’s corner said he could not continue. Canelo simply overwhelmed Khan in the sixth walking through his punches and knocking him unconscious. Yet, Khan was competitive in the early rounds. 

At the time of stoppage, Canelo trailed, 47-46, on one card. He led 49-46 and 48-47 on the other two. 

Other than the low blow, there was no argument about the scoring for Crawford-Khan. At the time of stoppage, Crawford was on his way to a runaway decision — 49-45, 50-44, 49-45.

In the buildup to Canelo-Crawford, the scorecards figure to be part of the story, an item in the debate. But the two fights were separated by three years. Khan was a different fighter in each. So, too, were Canelo and Crawford, now at the end of their primes. Canelo is 34. Crawford will be 38 on Sept. 28.

In the end, however, there will be a parallel that will further the intrigue and perhaps set the stage for what follows. Floyd Mayweather Jr., a dominant face of the generation before Canelo-Crawford, looms as a significant point of comparison.

Canelo has fought him, losing a decision in 2013 that proved to be a lesson and a milestone for the business-like way Canelo turned himself into boxing’s biggest pay-per-view draw over the next 12 years. Crawford has not fought Mayweather and presumably never will. 

Since Crawford’s singular display of welterweight brilliance in a stoppage of Errol Spence Jr. in July 2023, fans and media wonder at how Crawford, a dynamic finisher at welterweight and still unbeaten, would have done against Mayweather, who retired unbeaten as one of history’s greatest defensive fighters. We’ll never know.

But Canelo-Crawford — who wins and how it happens — figures to produce documented history and an intriguing look about how different eras compare. That’s real legacy. 




Canelo-Crawford: Interest builds as odds continue to favor Canelo

By Norm Frauenheim

Date and place remain uncertain, but exploding interest in Canelo Alvarez-versus-Terence Crawford six months before a projected opening bell is already evident in the noisy debate on social media and shifting numbers in the betting line. 

The social-media noise will continue, ad nauseam. But it’s the betting line, an early poll of sorts, that is showing a shift of public opinion toward Canelo. 

Canelo opened as a slight favorite, minus-190. But the odds, the dollars, are moving toward Canelo during the weeks since an 11th-hour deal was struck with Saudi Prince and promoter Turki Alalshikh on Feb. 7. 

This week Canelo is at minus-230. Translated, that means there’s a 66-percent chance he wins a fight as intriguing as any for a bout expected to happen in September in either Las Vegas or Los Angeles. 

The early odds figure to change more, especially during the first Saturday in May when Canelo is expected to reunify the super-middleweight title against International Boxing Federation belt-holder William Scull, a Cuban living in Germany, in a perceived tune-up in Riyadh. 

Canelo figures to win easily, but how easily will be a key factor going into the fight against Crawford, a four-division champion and an all-time welterweight great who is moving up two weight classes.

Increasingly, there’s social-media talk that the smaller, more skillful Crawford can beat Canelo. But the shifting odds say something else. There’s an old line: In a fight between two good fighters, bet on the bigger guy. For now, that’s Canelo. 

According to the latest odds update, Crawford has a 33 percent chance at springing one of the biggest upsets since Manny Pacquiao, then a lightweight champion, jumped to welterweight and scored an eighth-round stoppage of Oscar De La Hoya in December 2008.

Pacquiao weighed in at 142 pounds. De La Hoya, who came down from junior middleweight, was at 145 at the official weigh-in. It looked as if De La Hoya had weakened himself in the battle to make weight. Pacquiao overwhelmed De La Hoya late in the eighth, forcing him to quit before the start of the ninth.

Canelo, already known to tire in the later rounds, won’t have to weaken himself on the scale. According to the agreement, he’ll be at his customary weight, 168 pounds at the weigh-in the day before opening bell. 

It’s up to Crawford, who fought and won a belt at junior-middle (154) in his last bout, to add pounds. The question is how that will affect Crawford, who unlike Canelo does not have a fight scheduled before the projected September bout.

If Crawford can carry the additional weight without draining his endurance or eroding the dynamic resilience in his varied skillset, he’s got a real chance. Canelo has never faced anybody with Crawford’s quicksilver ability to adjust, including a seamless move from orthodox to southpaw and back. 

At 37 — he’ll be 38 on Sept 28, Crawford’s feet might not move with the agility and speed that they did when he was at lightweight and junior-welter. 

If, however, Crawford withstands Canelo’s early power, carries the weight and carries himself into the later rounds, there’s a chance he catches a tiring Canelo with counters from angles the powerful Mexican has yet to see.

On the scale of intangibles, the edge goes to Crawford. There’s charisma in his defiance. Motivation, too. Underdog will be the perfect fit for Crawford in his pursuit of big money and genuine legacy. 

It’s not as if Crawford is coming into what might be his last fight seeking a gigantic payout against a Jake Paul or a Conor McGregor. He’s taking on perhaps the biggest challenge possible against a bigger man, Canelo, who goes into the fight more than just favored.

Canelo is supposed to win. There’s pressure in that role, but it’s one Canelo understands better than any fighter in his generation. 

He’s learned how to counter it and how to use it throughout the years since a milestone scorecard loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in September 2013. If social media and shifting odds are any indication, that pressure is just beginning to build.

Best bet:

It’s going to be a hell of a fight.




Off and On: Canelo’s reported plans take him to Crawford, then Jake Paul and back to Crawford 

By Norm Frauenheim

Surprise, surprise, the Canelo Álvarez-Terence Crawford fight was off. Then, faster than flipping a light switch, it was back on. For the nut jobs gathered in the murky bottom of the social-media cesspool, that was the first sign of a lot more off and on. Sure enough, that’s what followed within a few hours Thursday. Canelo-Jake Paul was on, then suddenly off, in a dizzy sequence of dueling reports, all hard to follow in a sport known more for feints than facts.

Welcome to boxing, once called the red-light district of sports.  Buyer beware, which these days means don’t believe anything you read or hear because it’s about to change.

It all started late Wednesday with a Canelo-Crawford report from The Ring. Suddenly, a fight rumored for about a year and reportedly a done deal for September was suddenly off. Why? Fill in the blanks.

Immediately after news that — for “now” — the reported Canelo-Crawford fight in September on the Las Vegas Raiders home field is off, there were reports that Canelo would fight Jake Paul, who issued a statement Thursday evening, saying “when there is something to announce, we will announce it.’’

Turns out, there was nothing to announce. Instead, there was boxing’s new money man, Saudi Prince Turki Alalshikh, on social media, saying — somewhat cryptically — that Canelo had a four-fight deal for the Riyadh Season. It’s supposed to start on the first weekend in May, but apparently Paul will not be included, despite multiple reports to the contrary earlier in the day.  Meanwhile, The Ring, which Alalshikh recently bought, posted that Canelo-Paul was off. Please, pass the dramamine. It’s hard to know when this messy merry-go-round stops.

Above all, it suggests what everybody already knows. To wit: Boxing doesn’t know what it’s doing. Never has. The difference this week is the chaos. There’s more of that than ever. The best bet — perhaps the only one — is that the chaos will continue, leaving fans and media free to speculate wildly about what to believe and who to mock, what to rip and who to insult.

The best guess in this corner is that an untold amount of money was offered in some furious wheeling-and-dealing between the offs and ons, all in an 11th-hour effort to convince Canelo that he was better off with the Saudis than with a reported bout against Jake Paul. 

The Paul reports were credible, mostly because they made sense.

Canelo, the wealthiest boxer on Forbes’ annual list of the world’s richest athletes, has been more businessman than boxer over the last couple of years. He has employed the risk-reward formula he inherited from Floyd Mayweather Jr., who reportedly became a billionaire boxer by adhering to the ratio.

Paul has been calling out Canelo for years. As an aside, he has never called out David Benavidez, who also had been pursuing Canelo for years before his solid victory at light-heavyweight Saturday over David Morrell. Paul fought MMA star Anderson Silva in a boxing match two-plus years ago in Glendale AZ, just a few blocks from Phoenix streets where Benavidez grew up. 

“You call out Canelo, why not Benavidez?’’ I asked him at the formal news conference.

“I’m not ready for that,’’ Paul said.

He’s not. 

Not then. 

Especially not now.

Canelo, super-middleweight champ and still ranked in the middle of most pound-for-pound ratings, knows that, of course. He also knows that Crawford, an all-time welterweight great still among the top three in the pound-for-pound debate and now 1-0 at junior-middle, is a bigger risk than Paul ever could be. 

Like Benavidez, Paul has never called out Crawford either. 

The risk in either is not worth the reward.

But Paul, whose persona includes an edgy notoriety, has a social-media following that only Gallup can count. His drawing power is also undisputed. A Netflix audience for Paul’s sad spectacle against aging and ailing Mike Tyson on Nov. 15 was reported to peak at 65 million. The live crowd at AT&T Stadium in Arlington TX was announced at 72,300. Factor in all of that and it looked to be a no-brainer. 

The only downside would be the criticism Canelo would inevitably hear if he fought Paul, a novice boxer, instead of the emerging Benavidez or the feared Crawford, who is promoted by Alalshikh.  But the Saudi offer apparently was big, bigger than even the money Canelo might have made in a May date against Paul.

Apparently, the Saudi deal also restores plans for a Crawford fight against Canelo in September. Crawford tweeted Thursday night that he would wait on Canelo to fight a perceived tuneup in May. Super-middleweight belt-holder William Scull, a Cuban living in Germany, Jermall Charlo and Bruno Surface — who knocked out Jaime Munguia in a huge upset — are possibilities for the May date.

But there’s still a caveat. As of late Thursday, there was still no word — yes or no — from Canelo, the reigning Face of the Game. Only his final say-so can stop the chaos, or maybe just ignite a lot more of it.