Dana White’s Role in Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford Raises One Big Question for Insider

With just three months left before Canelo Álvarez and Terence Crawford exchange jabs, Turki Alalshikh is busy putting the last pieces of the jigsaw puzzle together. The picture is gradually taking shape. After the initial confusion over the date, concerns over the fight location have been sorted out. Canelo and Crawford will meet on September 13 in Las Vegas. The venue has yet to be decided.

Most intriguingly, Netflix will telecast Canelo vs. Crawford. The mega showdown follows the streaming behemoth’s hugely successful boxing debut last November. Spread across the globe, millions of viewers watched the Jake Paul-Mike Tyson duel on Netflix. To a few, however, news about Dana White taking over the fight’s promotion appeared a bolt out of the blue. Because just a few weeks ago, reports suggested otherwise – White may not play a role in promoting the historic clash. During a recent interview, Dan Rafael shared his perspectives on the UFC president’s dramatic comeback. After all, it’s not just another fight.

The Canelo-Crawford fight is now well underway. So Rafael and iFL TV’s Andrew McCart kicked off the conversation with the fight telecast on Netflix. According to Rafael, it’s great for fans because it won’t cost $80–90 like most PPVs. After sharing the insider info on the possible venue and the three-city press tour, the duo converged on the fight promotion.

A stark contrast exists between promoting a mixed martial arts fight and a boxing match. So Andrew McCart asked, “Now, talking about Dana White promoting a fight of this magnitude, I mean, his first sort of promotion, and he’s got a mega fight like this…now how do you think that Dana White is going to do with this sort of promotion and the fight itself?” Rafael stated that Dana White would do a ‘great job’ in his new role.

“Whether you’re in an octagon or a ring or using the small gloves or the boxing gloves or whatever, uh, you know, he’s dealt with combat athletes for decades at this point and, uh, has helped build UFC into what it has become,” Rafael highlighted. But one shouldn’t miss what’s written between the lines. “It ain’t that hard to promote and talk about, uh, the greatness of the two guys you’re going to be promoting for this fight,” Rafael said.

White was tied to the event early, then briefly seemed out, and now is back in the mix. So Dan Rafael felt this mega-fight is a good way to launch their boxing initiative.

Dana White: Back where I belong!

As far as the UFC honcho was concerned, he could barely hide his excitement. Through his Twitter handle, Dana White exclaimed, “Turki wants to make the biggest fights that the fans want to see in boxing, and this is right up my alley. Are you kidding me that the first boxing fight I’m going to get to promote is Canelo vs. Crawford? It’s literally a once-in-a-lifetime fight.”

A once in a lifetime fight!!! @Zuffa_Boxing @Canelo vs @terencecrawford is LIVE GLOBALLY on @netflix September 13th #CaneloCrawford pic.twitter.com/gDF3jNL0VF

— danawhite (@danawhite) June 10, 2025

The fight is taking place in Las Vegas. So Dan Rafael highlighted, vis-à-vis the Canelo-Crawford fight, the Riyadh Season team might have faced some licensing challenges related to promotional rights. Hence, letting someone who has tons of experience and expertise in handling big fight events take on the responsibility appears to be a sound decision.

“One thing is the same, though: when the bell rings, the guys are fighting whoever the promoter is,” Dan Rafael concluded. Ultimately, for fans, what matters is a good fight. Something memorable, one they would recall for years.

What are your views on Dana White’s return to the Canelo-Crawford fight promotion?

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