Sports
‘That’s the only fight I want’: How Terence Crawford landed Canelo Alvarez
LAS VEGAS — Shortly after moving up in weight and eking out a win in the closest fight of his career, Terence Crawford — then on the cusp of his 37th birthday — was insisting on jumping another two divisions to fight the undisputed 168-pound champion, Canelo Alvarez. This was 13 months ago. Crawford was addressing an audience of one: his patron, the Saudi Arabian boxing financier, Turki Alalshikh.
Even by boxing standards — I use the term advisedly, as boxing has only few and dubious standards — it seemed a semi-preposterous idea. Alalshikh shot him a look. “But the weight?” he said.
Actually, it was more than just the weight. Both history and common sense favor not merely the naturally bigger man, but the younger one, and the so-called “A side.” Paired with Canelo — boxing’s leading man, who had already generated almost half a billion dollars in purses — Crawford was none of those things. What’s more, he would do it without insisting on any of the usual contractual niceties designed to even the odds: no catchweight, no rehydration clause.
Alalshikh proposed a couple of very lucrative, if more sensible, alternatives: Vergil Ortiz Jr. or Jaron “Boots” Ennis, each of them undefeated young stars with great ambition at 154 pounds. Crawford refused to entertain either option. “Boots is not a megafight,” he said. “Vergil Ortiz is not a megafight. This is the tail end of my career. They’re going to say, ‘You were supposed to win.’ I want Canelo Alvarez.”
He wanted the fight he wasn’t supposed to win.
“OK,” said Alalshikh, relenting. “I’m going to try to get that fight for you.”
“That’s the only fight I want,” said Crawford.
Thirteen months hence, Canelo and Crawford will fight Saturday at Allegiant Stadium. Canelo agreed to the fight in return for a purse believed to be in excess of $100 million (“More than that,” Alalshikh proclaimed at Thursday’s news conference) — an offer that even the sport’s leading man couldn’t refuse. But it all began with Crawford. “That’s how we got here,” he says.
A generation of fighters has come to look upon Canelo less as a rival than as a score, a jackpot, a career payday. Their victories, it seems, were signing the contracts, not fighting the fights. But Crawford looks to Canelo as his white whale, something he was stalking long before that meeting with Alalshikh: an existential corrective for everything he believes has afflicted his career, an answer for every slight going back to the amateurs, from fighters who wouldn’t fight him to promoters who failed to promote him, a source of eternal respect and stature. But only if he wins.
In fact, Crawford has been studying Canelo since at least 2015, when he showed up at Mandalay Bay to watch Alvarez beat a future Hall of Famer, Miguel Cotto, for his first middleweight title. Crawford, by comparison, then held the WBO junior welterweight title. “I didn’t think fighting Canelo would be a thing,” he says. “We were too far apart in weight classes.”
Gradually, though, it would become a thing. In 2021, Crawford — by then a welterweight champion, though desperately lacking for worthy opponents — attended Alvarez’s stay-busy fight against somebody named Avni Yildirim in Miami. Canelo, now the WBC’s 168-pound champion, knocked out Yildirim in the third round. But even as he did, the seed had been planted. Crawford wouldn’t mention it in public, but it was in the back of his mind.
By 2023, though, he had begun his behind-the-scenes campaign to land a Canelo fight. Late that year, he met with then-WBO president Francisco “Paco” Valcarcel in Puerto Rico and broached the idea.
“I was shocked,” recalls Valcarcel. While Crawford had now beaten Errol Spence Jr. to become undisputed at 147 pounds, Canelo — who had already won a world title by knockout at 175 — was undisputed at 168. “Why don’t you wait a couple years?” Valcarcel advised gently.
“I can’t wait,” Crawford shot back, citing his age. “I can beat him.”
By now, Crawford was a regular at Canelo’s biannual fights, and still fresh in his mind was Canelo’s victory over Jermell Charlo. Charlo, coming up from 154 pounds, was dropped in Round 7. After that, though, it was all paint-by-numbers. “He didn’t fight to win,” Crawford says of Charlo. “He just fought to survive.”
In many respects, Canelo-Charlo has become an all-too-familiar template in the arc of Alvarez’s career: a single knockdown that lumbers on predictably to a unanimous decision. Such was the case in Canelo’s wins over the likes of John Ryder, Jaime Munguia and Edgar Berlanga.
“They wanted the payday,” Crawford tells me. “They didn’t want to win the fight. Going the 12 rounds was a victory to them.”
If Canelo’s most recent victory — for which Crawford traveled all the way to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia — lacked even the pro forma knockdown, his opponent, William Scull, was intent on nothing so much as survival. Crawford, meanwhile, fights only to destroy.
That said, if it’s fair to judge Canelo based on past performances, what of Crawford’s? His last fight, moving up to 154 and winning a close if unanimous decision over the estimable Israil Madrimov, fell far short of making a case for Canelo.
“Madrimov taught me patience,” says Crawford. “He was so herky-jerky and so explosive — bouncing back and forth, all those crazy antics. But Canelo doesn’t have any of that in his arsenal. I don’t have to worry about any of that with him.”
What about the age, though? Alvarez is 35. Crawford is two weeks from his 38th birthday, old by the standards of any division in any era, and certainly not an optimal time to jump up multiple divisions. Then again, Alvarez has fought at least 520 rounds (maybe more, as there are believed to be several early fights of his that never made it into the records) as a pro. He has had two competitive fights with the hard-hitting Gennadiy Golovkin, and losses to Floyd Mayweather and, more recently, Dmitry Bivol. Crawford, for his part, has never been beaten, or beaten down, in 245 pro rounds. Who’s older in boxing years? I wonder.
“He is for sure,” says Crawford. “He started fighting professional at 15.”
Still, Alvarez remains not merely the “A side,” but an economy unto himself. Considering the fight is on Mexican Independence Day weekend, it will certainly be a pro-Canelo crowd, but more than that, Canelo will be the presumptive beneficiary of any doubt on the judges’ scorecards. Crawford doesn’t disagree. He knows he can’t fight his typical fight, which involves a relatively slow start as he downloads his opponent’s tendencies. He needs to start fast.
“Of course, of course,” he says. “I got to set the tone. You have to set the tone with Canelo — to let the judges know you’re putting rounds in the bank. That’s how I look at it: one round at a time. Don’t go in and try to get a knockout in the first round. Just put rounds in the bank. And make sure you’re winning those rounds decisively.”
The way Crawford explains it — the way he has been explaining it to himself for years now — makes his existential errand sound, well, perfectly reasonable. Maybe that’s how you hunt white whales, even those with red hair, when the only thing you want is what you’re not supposed to have.
Sports
Broadcast industry CEO says consolidation is ‘essential’ to compete for NFL soaring media rights prices
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The evolution of live sports programming has become a battleground between traditional broadcast companies and streaming platforms, vying for the right to air the best games possible year after year.
The NFL is the cream of the crop, generating roughly $10 billion per year on its current media rights deal. And the league is likely to renegotiate that deal by the end of this year, with reports indicating that they want it done before kickoff in Week 1 of the 2026 season in September.
With additional media partners potentially entering the fold in this new deal, where do the incumbents like FOX, CBS and NBC lie in the pie chart that is the NFL schedule?
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The Fox broadcast team, from left to right, Tom Brady, Tom Rinaldi, Kevin Burkhardt, Erin Andrews, and Dean Blandino pose for photo prior to an NFL football game between the Chicago Bears and the Dallas Cowboys at Solider Field on Sept. 21, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Todd Rosenberg/Getty Images)
Curtis LeGeyt, the CEO of the National Association of Broadcasters, which lobbies federal agencies and lawmakers alike on behalf of the broadcast industry, spoke with John Ourand on “The Varsity” podcast, where he suggested the broadcast industry must consolidate if it wants to continue competing with streaming platforms for live sports rights.
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“I think, for better or worse, (consolidation) is an essential thing right now,” he explained. “And I’m looking at this purely through the lens of broadcast. If we’re going to compete for those NFL sports rights, if we’re going to compete locally to ensure that teams feel like they have a local distribution option that is freely available through local broadcasts as opposed to the cable regional sports networks or even streaming, broadcasters need some scale in order to complete for that. The only way to gain that scale is through some level of consolidation.”
We’re already seeing key mergers across broadcast television, including Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery, which is awaiting approval that will likely go through. Also, the NFL and ESPN reached a landmark deal where the sports giant acquired NFL Network, NFL RedZone and NFL Fantasy. In exchange, the league received a 10% equity stake in ESPN, which was valued at around $3 billion.
A close-up view of a person operating a broadcast camera with a cover with the FOX Sports logo during the NFL game between the Carolina Panthers and the Atlanta Falcons on Nov. 16, 2025 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. (Erica Denhoff/Icon Sportswire)
Merging these broadcasters together can help compete against the likes of Amazon, Netflix, and perhaps others will join the fray if and when negotiations ensue for a new media rights deal. With JC Tretter elected as the NFL Players’ Association’s new executive director, those negotiations could be coming sooner than later.
Now, where does the NFL fan come into play here? The price of simply watching the NFL schedule is quite expensive, with fans having to pay at least $575 to watch every game if they wished in 2025. The need for ESPN, Peacock, Amazon Prime Video, Netflix and NFL+ subscriptions, among others, only points upward as media rights prices for the league continues to grow.
Fans would like it if they could access their favorite sports if its free-to-air broadcasts doing so.
A general view of the Amazon “Thursday Night Football” broadcast set with Charissa Thompson, Tony Gonzalez, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Andrew Whitworth and Richard Sherman during the TNF on Prime halftime show during an NFL football game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium on Oct. 2, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
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The FCC said last month it would seek public comment about the ongoing shift of live sports from broadcast channels to streaming services, which includes the other major sports leagues in the country like the NBA, MLB and more.
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Sports
Warriors’ Moses Moody leaves game on stretcher after suffering gruesome injury on dunk attempt
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Golden State Warriors guard Moses Moody left Monday night’s game on a stretcher after he suffered a gruesome leg injury against the Dallas Mavericks.
Moody was all alone on his way to an easy dunk in overtime after stealing the ball from Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg. He gathered himself and went up for the slam but his knee buckled. He landed hard on the floor.
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Golden State Warriors guard Moses Moody (4) injures his leg while trying to score in front of Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) during overtime at American Airlines Center on March 23, 2026. (Kevin Jairaj/Imagn Images)
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr and players from both teams were left in disbelief.
Moody was down for several minutes as medical personnel attended to him. Kerr said after the game that Moody was getting X-rays at the American Airlines Center.
“Just saw his leg buckle. Saw him go down in a heap, in pain,” Kerr told reporters. “We don’t know what it is, but it sure looked bad. Just hoping for the best. What the best-case scenario is, that’s what we’re all hoping for. But it looked bad.”
Moody was playing in his first game since he sprained his right wrist. He led the Warriors with 23 points and three steals before the freak accident.
Golden State Warriors guard Moses Moody (4) grabs his leg at American Airlines Center on March 23, 2026. (Kevin Jairaj/Imagn Images)
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“Mo is such a great human being, great teammate, wonderful guy to coach,” Kerr said. “Puts in the work every day. And was brilliant, by the way. Played so well defensively, changed the game for us with his ball pressure and knocked down big shots. So great to finally have him back. And then for that to happen, you’re just praying that it’s not too serious, but it sure looked serious.”
Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski said the injury reminded him of when Jimmy Butler tore his ACL against the Miami Heat back in January.
“You just hate to see it, especially to the good people in life,” Podziemski said.
Golden State Warriors guard Moses Moody (4) waves to fans while leaving the court on a stretcher during overtime against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center on March 23, 2026. (Kevin Jairaj/Imagn Images)
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The Warriors won the game 137-131. Golden State is likely headed for the play-in tournament in hopes of being one of the eight teams in the Western Conference vying for an NBA title.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Former champions Peshawar Zalmi have brought in Zimbabwean player Brian Bennett for the 11th season of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), set to take place from March 26 to May 3.
The addition was announced by Zalmi owner Javed Afridi through a post on his social media platform X.
“We welcome Brian John Bennett from Zimbabwe to the Zalmi family,” Afridi wrote.
The right-handed batter has been a formidable performer for Zimbabwe in international limited-overs cricket. He has played 58 T20Is, scoring 1,888 runs at a healthy strike rate of 143.68, including 12 fifties and one century.
Bennett was also the sixth-highest run-scorer in the recently concluded ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, held in India and Sri Lanka.
He amassed 292 runs in six matches at an average of 146.00 and a strike rate of 134.56, with three half-centuries to his name.
The 22-year-old is set to make his debut not only in the PSL but also in any overseas franchise league.
Earlier, Zalmi also signed Bangladesh opener Tanzid Hasan Tamim, who became the third Bangladeshi player to join the squad, alongside Nahid Rana and Shoriful Islam.
The upcoming PSL season marks a landmark edition as the league expands to eight teams. New entrants Hyderabad Kingsmen and Rawalpindi join the fray, with a total of 44 matches to be played over 39 days.
In a significant shift from initial plans, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has scaled back the tournament’s logistics. Matches will now be held exclusively at two venues—Karachi and Lahore—and played behind closed doors.
PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi announced the revised arrangements during a media conference, explaining that the decisions followed a joint meeting with franchise owners and consultations with the Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, who serves as the Patron-in-Chief.
Six cities, including Multan, Peshawar, Rawalpindi and Faisalabad, had originally been in contention to host matches.
Updated Peshawar Zalmi squad for PSL 11:
Babar Azam (c), Sufiyan Muqeem, Brian Bennett, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Abdul Samad, Ali Raza, Aaron Hardie, Aamir Jamal, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Haris, Khalid Usman, Abdul Subhan, James Vince, Michael Bracewell, Kusal Mendis, Iftikhar Ahmed, Nahid Rana, Mirza Tahir Baig, Kashif Ali, Shahnawaz Dahani, Farhan Yousuf and Shoriful Islam.
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