When Saul “Canelo” Alvarez is in the ring at Allegiant Stadium facing undefeated (41-0) Terence “Bud” Crawford on Saturday night, money will probably be the last thing on his mind.
Though Crawford is the smaller fighter, moving up to the super-welterweight division to the 168-pound super-middleweight class, the 17-year veteran is known as a knockout specialist with 31 of his 41 wins coming by way of the KO.
Crawford is also a fully ambidextrous fighter, meaning he switches at will between othrodox — that is, right-handed — and southpaw stances. The last time Alvarez fought a fighter adept at switching, though not fully ambidextrous, and for that matter, a technical boxer as skilled as Crawford, came in 2013, when “Canelo” took on another unbeaten fighter, Floyd Mayweather Jr.
In that super fight, Mayweather handed Alvarez the first loss of his career.
“Mayweather’s performance is something Crawford should be studying in the build-up to his fight with Canelo,” wrote Hamish Woodward of the SB Nation site Bloody Elbow. “(Mayweather) outfought a 23-year-old Canelo, using his incredible movement and footwork to avoid almost all of his power shots, landing crucial counter punches throughout the fight to impress the judges.”
In other words, Canelo is expected have his hands more than full with Crawford. But once the fight is over, he can turn his attention back to the financial piece of the event — which will be substantial.
How will his payday for the fight impact Canelo’s bottom line? Here’s what you need to know about his net worth.
Alvarez Wasn’t Always Well-Paid to Box
When Alvarez began his career 20 years ago in the town of Tonalá, a suburb of Guadalajara, his purse consisted of a whopping 800 pesos — about $40.
“They actually only paid me half of that,” Alvarez recalled years later, as quoted by The Guardian. “The other half was in tickets. I gave all the tickets to my family so I came home with 400 pesos. It seemed a lot.”
Alvarez Expecting a 9-Figure Purse This Time
According to the one of the fight’s promoters, Dana White — the same Dana White who runs the UFC — Alvarez is expected to earn a purse “probably” over $100 million.
Exact purse values were formerly required under Nevada law to be publicly revealed, but that regulation was repealed in 2020.
Boxer Could Raise His Net Worth by 30 Percent
Assuming White’s $100 million figure is correct, the purse would be more than one-third of Alvarez’s current estimated net worth of $275 million, according to the business magazine and website Forbes.
Not All of Alvarez’s Net Worth is From Boxing
According to Forbes, Alvarez has used his fight earnings to become an independently wealthy business tycoon. His empire includes, per Forbes, “a chain of gas stations in western Mexico called Canelo Energy and an associated chain of convenience stores called Upper.”
He also has his own clothing line, which is sold through his online Canelo Store, and owns a boxing promotional firm, Canelo Promotions, and an entertainment company, Canelo Espectáculos, according to the business magazine.
Saudi Arabia Contract Makes Him One of World’s Wealthiest Athletes
His fight against Crawford will be the second in Alvarez’s three-fight contract with Riyadh Season, a sports entertainment firm is Saudi Arabia that will likely make him one of the world’s highest paid athletes in 2025. Forbes already ranks him at No. 22 with $80 million in earnings.
Adding another $100 million would put Canelo into the No. 2 spot, ahead of the Golden State Warriors‘ Stephen Curry ($156 million) and just behind global soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo, who currently plays for Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr, at $275 million.
Canelo Alvarez Net Worth: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know