Showcasing ‘Real Boxing’ on Netflix: Turki Alalshikh’s Plea to Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford for a Knockout Ending

Turki Alalshikh says he wants the Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford superfight to impress the Netflix audience by putting on a “good fight’ that lasts “seven or eight rounds” at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

Alalshikh believes that, despite neither fighter looking great in their last fights, they’ll perform better due to it being a “legacy fight.”  The amount of pressure and interest there is in this fight will motivate the two aging fighters to turn back the clock to rediscover a portion of their youth to entertain the large audience that will be watching on Netflix and Allegiant Stadium.

Turki’s Netflix Boxing Vision

“Let’s show Netflix real boxing,” said Turki Alalshikh to Ring Magazine on X about wanting the Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford superfight to impress the Netflix audience and platform on Saturday. “I want to explain why it’s ‘The Fight of the Century.’”

Turki’s high expectations for Crawford and Canelo to put on an impressive performance put a lot of pressure on them. Neither of them looked good in their recent fights, particularly Crawford, who came close to losing his fight against Israil Madrimov on Alalshikh’s event at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles on August 3, 2024.

The undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo (63-2-2, 39 KOs) is still capable of brawling against fighters who are stationary. But as his last fight against William Scull showed earlier this year on May 3, he’s not able to cut off the ring against fighters who stick and move.

Crawford’s ‘Tom and Jerry’ Style

If Crawford follows the exact blueprint that Scull showed, he could defeat Canelo, but it would be boring to the fans at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Moreover, it’ll disappoint the Netflix audience and the top brass executives in the company.

Crawford turning in a painfully boring performance to watch on Saturday night will be poison for Netflix and Turki. It would be a disaster if Terence turns in a Tom and Jerry-style performance, wanting to win at all costs by playing it safe.

While he might get the victory, he would make himself and Turki look bad in the eyes of Netflix. That’s why it was a gamble for Alalshikh to choose Crawford as Canelo’s opponent for what he calls ‘The Fight of the Century’ rather than a historically more entertaining fighter, such as Artur Beterbiev, David Benavidez, or Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis.

I believe the chief reason Crawford has failed to become a star during his career isn’t due to his lack of opportunities. It’s his dull fighting style.

“Canelo is the biggest name in boxing now, and Crawford is undefeated and has the chance to be undisputed for the third time. Maybe this is the last fight for Crawford. Canelo doesn’t want to be beaten by a guy going up two or three weights,” said Turki.

It’s a no-win situation for Canelo going up against a fighter moving up three weight classes. If he struggles to get the victory or if he loses, it’s going to be dumped on by fans. If he knocks Crawford out, he won’t receive the credit because he’s fighting basically a pumped-up welterweight and an aging one at that.

Alalshikh’s High Expectations

Turki says that he’s gotten close to Canelo during the build-up, and he’s now split on who he wants to win. He states that he’s hoping for a “good fight” lasting six or seven rounds. He wants a knockout ending, which makes sense in terms of drama and entertainment.

Alalshikh wants the Allegiant Stadium fans to go “crazy’ on Saturday night at the excitement of the Canelo-Crawford fight. Again, this will depend on whether Crawford chooses to fight or follow the Scull blueprint of sticking and moving.

Crawford’s Lack of Star Power

Turki says that Crawford “deserves” this fight, and he doesn’t understand why he didn’t get opportunities earlier in his career for big fights. I think the reasons for Crawford not getting the big fights:

1. Switch-hitting counter-puncher
2. Highly mobile, jab-heavy fighter
3. Low social media activity
4. Not a big talker
5. Boxing politics

Turki says that Canelo has two more fights remaining on his contract and will fight in February or March in Saudi Arabia. He states that he’ll offer him two additional fights in 2027.