Tonight, from AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys in Arlington, Texas, current Ring Magazine Middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (47-1-1, 33 KOs) will compete at 154 pounds for the first time in three years and challenge reigning WBO Super Welterweight titlist Liam “Beefy” Smith (23-0-1, 13 KOs) in the main event of a Golden Boy Promotions PPV.
Although the Mexican superstar’s handlers are keeping tonight’s payday a little closer to the vest, it’s safe to assume that Canelo Alvarez will earn his now customary $3.5 million pre-fight guarantee, not including proceeds from Mexican TV and PPV incentives. And while it’s a mystery as to how much the current WBO Champion will receive for his efforts this evening, it’s projected to be a seemingly meager sum in comparison to the now expected multi-million dollar purse of Team Alvarez.
In his last PPV appearance, Canelo was guaranteed a healthy purse of $3.5 million to face British attraction and former Olympian Amir Khan earlier this year in May, while his opponent was given a cool $2 million purse for his efforts. Keep in mind, the contractual guarantees don’t include any of the PPV incentive generated from the respective U.S. or U.K. markets.
In November of 2015, Alvarez was guaranteed a surprising purse $5 million to compete for Miguel Cotto’s WBC and Ring Magazine Middleweight titles. Compared to Miguel’s whopping $15 million guarantee, Canelo’s payday seemed a bit low. But with favorable numbers from Mexican TV, Alvarez eventually received a 45% share of the entire purse generated from the successful pairing.
A week after Mayweather vs. Pacquiao, on May 9th, 2015, the popular Mexican fighter earned another $3.5 million purse to take on fan-friendly, pressure fighter James Kirkland in front of 30K fans at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas. Although the bout wasn’t staged for a version of any title belt or championship endeavor, the Mandingo Warrior received a healthy $1.3 million for three rounds of work.
Canelo vs Smith odds
So although Liam Smith isn’t exactly a household name within the boxing community and doesn’t enjoy the same drawing power of Canelo’s last three opponents, it’s safe to assume Alvarez will be earning a guaranteed $3.5 million purse for tonight’s action, adding to his already impressive career earning total of $21.5 million.
According to Forbes Magazine, the 26 year old fighter was the 92nd highest paid athlete in the world in the periodical’s “Top 100” list of 2016. Canelo ranks just above Los Angeles Dodgers’ First Baseman Adrian Gonzalez, and just below Outfielder for the Atlanta Braves Matt Kemp.
Canelo vs Smith can be purchased and viewed streaming online through https://www.goldenboyppv.com/ for a one time fee of $64.99, with Hall of Fame commentators Colonel Bob Sheridan and Larry Merchant calling the action for the Golden Boy Promotions feed. The HBO PPV distribution, with commentators Jim Lampley, Roy Jones and Max Kellerman calling the action, can be purchased through your preferred cable and satellite provider with a start time of 9PM ET/6PM PT.
Bonus coverage, consisting of eight, off-TV preliminary bouts, featuring GBP prospects Eddie Gomez, Sadam Ali, Hector Tanajara Jr. and Joshua Franco, can be viewed by visiting RingTvLive.com, starting at 3:20PM ET/12:20PM PT!
