Netflix Bags Canelo-Crawford Super Fight: Analyzing The Commercial Move, And PPV History

The Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford undisputed super middleweight championship fight will be streamed on Netflix with Riyadh Season on September 13th. It’s potentially a good move for Canelo, Crawford, and the event’s financiers.

Canelo-Crawford: Netflix Exclusive Downside

The obvious downside is that the Canelo vs. Crawford event will be exclusive to Netflix subscribers. Fans who are unwilling to become Netflix subscribers will be left out in the cold, unable to watch the fight.

Canelo-Crawford is viewed as a commercial fight, rather than a sporting one. Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) is an aging fighter who has never competed at 168, unranked, and will move up two weight classes [14 lbs] to challenge Canelo (63-2-2, 39 KOs).

“Money Fight” vs. Sporting Clash

Terence is just moving up two divisions and given a title shot. It’s believed that Crawford will either move back down to 154 or retire after the riches he gets for the fight. The two names for this non-traditional fight:

– Money Fight
– Super Fight

The massive reach of Netflix’s subscribers means that more viewers could watch and help grow the sport. That’s if the viewers are interested in this fight, and many won’t be. Canelo-Crawford is NOT on the level of Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson, because Crawford isn’t well known to non-boxing fans, lacks charisma, and can’t sell fights.

Crawford Lacks Charisma, Sales

Crawford is a fighter that Turki Alalshikh likes a lot. Hence, he’s taken an interest in him late in his 17-year pro career. Forcing Crawford onto the U.S market, hoping that fans will want to watch him now after all these years, hasn’t worked. Fans showed little interest in Crawford’s first fight under Turki’s guidance against Israil Madrimov last August.

Instead of giving up on the Nebraska native Terence, Alalshikh has spent a boatload of money to set him up in a fight against Canelo Alvarez. Some fans would argue that Turki is wasting good money on a fight that fans don’t want to watch. He’s focused on what U.S fans want to see. It’s not Canelo-Crawford. That’s another William Scull-type fight.

During Crawford’s years with Top Rank, he failed to become a PPV attraction due to a combination of factors:

• Weak opposition
• Dull style
• No charisma
• Zero social media presence

Terence has only had one fight during his career that brought in excellent PPV numbers, and that was when he faced the superstar Errol Spence in 2023. The fan interest in that fight stemmed from Spence.

Netflix Streams Canelo vs. Crawford Fight

Turki Alalshikh is calling the Canelo-Crawford fight “The Fight of the Century,” which is a big stretch. It might not even be the fight of the year. It’s a clash that fans have not asked for, as they want the Mexican star to fight David Benavidez, not the 38-year-old Crawford.

Riyadh Season and Sela Present
The Fight of the Century 🔥
Canelo vs. Crawford 🥊
For the Undisputed Super Middleweight Championship and The Ring Magazine Belt 👑
📍 Sept 13 – Las Vegas
🌍 Streaming live on Netflix as part of a strategic partnership with Riyadh Season… pic.twitter.com/Z1kJrb0FcN

— TURKI ALALSHIKH (@Turki_alalshikh) June 10, 2025