This Saturday in Las Vegas, Terence Crawford and Canelo Alvarez will clash in one of the biggest fights of the century.
It is the latest megafight to come to fruition in boxing, as two genuine stars and pound-for-pound talents go head to head in an undisputed-title fight at Allegiant Stadium, which has a capacity of 71,000.
Fans and pundits are split on their predictions, while the odds are close with the bookies, too. So, Saturday’s main event has all the makings of a classic, colossal clash.
With that in mind, here are 10 of the biggest fights this side of the millennium…
Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford
A meeting of two four-weight world champions. Crawford puts his unbeaten record on the line in an ambitious test, as he not only hits a career-heaviest weight but does so by going two divisions above his previous maximum (154lb). With that, he will try to take the undisputed super-middleweight titles from Canelo, and try to become the first three-weight undisputed king of the modern era. Canelo will have a significant Mexican backing in Las Vegas, as he looks to maintain his second reign with all the major marbles at 168lb.
Lennox Lewis vs Evander Holyfield II
In 1999, heavyweight great Lewis twice fought former cruiserweight champion Holyfield, with the unified heavyweight belts on the line in their first fight, at Madison Square Garden in New York City. But as big as that bout was, the Las Vegas rematch was even bigger, as undisputed status was up for grabs and fans were desperate for a clear ending – after the initial showdown ended in a draw. Lewis would triumph on points, and he would end up as the last undisputed heavyweight champion for 24 years.
Mike Tyson vs Lennox Lewis
Taking place in 2002, with Lewis aged 37 and Tyson about to turn the same age, this title fight might have been even better a few years earlier, but the hype was huge, and there was a decisive ending as Lewis stopped “Iron Mike” in the eighth round in Memphis. There was also drama when Lewis was deducted a point earlier in the fight for pushing Tyson to the canvas. Lewis would box just once more after this then retire, while Tyson pushed on for a few more years before his retirement (not factoring in a 2024 professional bout, which might just pop up lower down on this page…).
Floyd Mayweather vs Oscar De La Hoya
Moving from the heavyweight heyday to the Mayweather years, we start with “Money”’s showdown against De La Hoya in 2007. Talk about a big-fight feel; this was a match-up to capture the imagination of even those sports fan who were generally uninterested in boxing. Mayweather’s undefeated record was on the line – as it would remain all throughout his career – and while hindsight suggests he always had the edge over De La Hoya, 34 at the time, many fans tuned in praying for “Golden Boy” to seal the win. He did not, though, as he fell to a split-decision defeat, and Mayweather, then 30, retained his super-welterweight belt.
Oscar De La Hoya vs Manny Pacquiao
Fast forward 19 months, and De La Hoya would return to Vegas for another super-fight, against Manny Pacquiao. No belts on the line, just pride and status. This time, the gap between Golden Boy and his opponent was clearer than in the Mayweather fight, as “Pac Man” stopped the American in the eighth round. With that, De La Hoya called time on his professional career.
Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao
Arguably the biggest fight of them all. It took place too late, yes, with Mayweather aged 38 and Pacquiao aged 36 in 2015, and with the latter having lost his unbeaten record. Still, the hype was unimaginable, with fans having waited for years to see this one, and the usual applied: viewers tuned in to see whether Mayweather would finally meet his match. In the end, the American simply proved too slick for Pacquiao, who could not really trouble his long-time, distant rival or apply his power effectively. After the fight, the Filipino legend complained of a shoulder injury and said he was denied an injection of legal painkillers. Mayweather kept his welterweight title and took Pacquiao’s with the victory. This fight still holds the record as the biggest-ever boxing pay-per-view seller.
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Floyd Mayweather vs Conor McGregor
Two years later, Mayweather came out of retirement to see if he could move to 50-0 as a professional, in a bout that many thought would never be more than an exhibition – if it would ever occur at all. Over the course of a year, rumours turned to reality as Mayweather was matched with UFC star McGregor. In the UFC, bar a loss to Nate Diaz – which he avenged – McGregor had been prolific, knocking out almost everyone in front of him. As the younger, naturally bigger man, he genuinely believed he could stop Mayweather. But the true boxer withstood the Irishman’s eager, early offence, wore him down, and got the TKO in the 10th round. McGregor did himself justice, though, and made life-changing money. This fight followed “May-Pac” as the second-biggest PPV seller in boxing history.
Canelo Alvarez vs Gennady Golovkin 2
The consensus is that middleweight great Golovkin was robbed in his first fight with Canelo, as a split draw was awarded in Las Vegas in 2017, with the Kazakh’s unified belts up for grabs. A year later, the rivals returned to “Sin City”, where a much closer contest ensued – the middle bout in an eventual trilogy. Unfortunately, the severe thirst for a cleaner result went on, as controversial scoring again affected the match-up. Canelo was named victorious as “GGG” tasted his first professional defeat, and yes, there is an argument for the Mexican, but most fans feel Golovkin did just enough to see his hand raised.
Terence Crawford vs Errol Spence Jr
This was perhaps one more for the boxing purists, although anticipation still swelled outside of the sport as the match-up neared. Another bout that had been years in the making, and arguably one that came a tad too late, but at least we got to see it. It was billed as a 50-50 fight, but on the night, Crawford dismantled Spence Jr, dropping his fellow American southpaw three times en route to a ninth-round stoppage win. Not only were the undisputed welterweight titles on the line in this one, but so was each man’s unbeaten record. Only Crawford’s remained in tact, and he became the first two-weight undisputed champ of the modern era.
Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk
Twenty-four years after Lewis forfeited undisputed status in the heavyweight division, the sport finally found his successor. And it was, of all people, a natural cruiserweight. In a generation of heavyweights initially led by Fury, Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder, it was Usyk who emerged as the greatest, beating “AJ” twice before doing the same to Fury. But it was the Ukrainian’s first clash with Fury that produced his career-defining moment, as he won an instant classic via split decision to become a two-weight undisputed champion, like Crawford.
Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson
Yes, we know, this is the ugly duckling in the pond that is this article. In 2024, a year that offered tantalising undisputed showdowns between Fury and Usyk and Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol, this fight still stood out as absolutely massive. Part of the appeal was hopeless curiosity, as a 58-year-old Tyson stepped in the ring with YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul, 28. But there was also nostalgia driving interest, with older fans eager to see their childhood idol compete again. Add to that a younger generation wishing to see the mouthy Paul get some comeuppance, and you had a recipe for a seismic fight, which – streaming live on Netflix, in an unprecedented move, was watched by 60m households. The fight itself, obviously, did not deliver. Still, it went down as a pro bout, not an exhibition, with Paul winning on points in Dallas.
