Who is promoting the Canelo vs Crawford mega-fight, and why is the UFC's Dana White involved?

Who is promoting the Canelo vs Crawford mega-fight, and why is the UFC's Dana White involved?

The promotion of Canelo vs Crawford is a unique collaboration between multiple entities:

• Riyadh Season / General Entertainment Authority (GEA) – This is essentially the Saudi Arabian promotional arm led by Turki Alalshikh. They are funding and co-organizing the event as part of their initiative to bring major sporting events to Saudi (even though the fight itself is in Vegas, the promotion is under their banner).

• Dana White and TKO Promotions – Dana White, known for running the UFC, is stepping into boxing promotion for the first time here. His company (TKO) is co-promoting the fight. Dana's involvement raised eyebrows initially, but he confirmed it in mid-2025, expressing excitement to be part of "the fight of the century". Essentially, after the UFC-WWE merger (under the TKO group), Dana has the infrastructure and he's always shown interest in big boxing events. This fight gave him the perfect entry, backed by Saudi partners.

• Sela Sports – Sela is a Saudi entertainment company working with Turki Alalshikh, often associated with Riyadh Season events. They're experienced in putting on large-scale shows and are part of the promotion team.

• Canelo's and Crawford's representation – Canelo Alvarez has his own promotion (Canelo Promotions) and also works closely with Eddie Hearn's Matchroom Boxing and Premier Boxing Champions (PBC). For this event, Canelo is effectively a free agent partnering with the above group. Terence Crawford, likewise, is representing himself (he's not tied long-term to any promoter after leaving Top Rank in 2021), making it easier for him to participate.

The reason this collaboration came to be is that no single traditional promoter had both fighters. Cross-promotional fights can be tricky (networks, egos, splits), but in this case an outside force – the Saudis and Dana White – brokered a deal that all sides were happy with. Dana White's presence is partly because he's proven at promoting combat sports spectacles, and partly because he has a long relationship with Nevada and fight venues (through UFC). Also, UFC's parent company sees value in being involved in one of the biggest boxing events, expanding their portfolio. Dana had a scheduling conflict initially (the UFC's Noche UFC event was to be same week), but adjustments were made so he could fully commit to Canelo vs Crawford.

So, the fight posters list multiple logos: Riyadh Season, TKO (UFC), and likely Canelo Promotions/PBC. It's truly an all-hands-on-deck approach to promote this mega-fight. The result is an unprecedented marketing push: UFC channels are promoting it, Saudi media is promoting it, and traditional boxing outlets as well. In Dana White's words, "Turki wants to make the biggest fights that fans want… this is right up my alley". With his promotional savvy and Saudi's resources, expect a huge buildup to September 13.

(Sources: News of co-promotion by Turki Alalshikh, Dana White, and Sela; Dana White quotes on involvement.)