Six months into the boxing territory with Zuffa Boxing, UFC CEO Dana White was already making headlines with ‘the fight of the century.’ The way it boiled down to Terence Crawford having the last laugh over Canelo Alvarez to become the super middleweight champion, the hype stood true. Reportedly, the latter became one of the top-5 payday listers with a $100-150 million payday for the fight. Crawford, too, albeit only receiving a fraction of what his opponent earned, received his biggest career paycheck of $10 million.

However, if what White’s competitor, Eddie Hearn, just revealed holds, neither of the two boxers was a loser; it was Turki Alalshikh who was.  Matchroom boss appeared on Ariel Helwani’s show to talk about Zuffa Boxing’s purported plans to hold a ‘Contender Series’ in 2026 that likely resembles the UFC format. That time, he shed some light on the potential layout of schedules.

“I think their model will be the league, the content, whatever they want to call it. And then I think they’ll delve into some big shows during the year,” Hearn said. Helwani promptly cited an example – the Canelo-Crawford showdown.

Only, it forced Eddie Hearn to spill the tea on some hard truths. “I don’t think (what) the reality is. I don’t know the numbers, but there was probably a loss on that show because of the deal that Turki did with Canelo and Crawford,” the Matchroom honcho stated. “He really looks after the fighters and, you know, the costs involved in a Saudi Riyadh season show.

“Maybe not, but there’s a very good chance, they won’t wanna get involved in a fight like that, with a risk like that, with a potential of making a loss. Now, every big fight we do runs the risk of making a loss. That’s just boxing.

“You just hope that the numbers are good enough and solid enough at the end that it’s a profitable game. The bigger you get, the less chances you have to take in that respect. So, don’t forget, and I keep saying, White came in and he said, ‘I did the biggest games in boxing.’ That wasn’t a Dana White show. That was the brainchild of, that was the vision of, and that was funded by Turki Alalshikh.”

Top Stories

Is Gervonta Davis Arrested for Domestic Violence Charges? Courtney Rossel Lawsuit, Jake Paul Fight Postponed Rumors & More

Fans Point Out the Obvious After Jake Paul Beats Shakur Stevenson in Hand Speed Contest

Fans Choose Ryan Garcia and Others as Frontrunners After Jake Paul Reportedly Looks to Replace Gervonta Davis

Fans in Stitches as Terence Crawford’s WBO Belt Baffles Airport Security

Laila Ali Issues Final Response to Claressa Shields for Dragging Late Muhammad Ali Into Years-Long Controversy

Although the numbers are not out yet, the fight did become one of the biggest events. Crawford’s history-making victory was watched by more than 41 million people on Netflix. As per reports, $47 million was the live gate that the Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford fight earned last month, which is the third biggest in history. It doesn’t look like a loss to anyone. Even if it did not become profitable, the fight has certainly brought boxing back into the forefront of sports. For one, it also wasn’t a loss for Crawford.

The native Nebraskan became the first male boxer of the four-belt era to win undisputed titles in three different divisions. In fact, the undisputed 168-pound champion has now asked for a $100 million paycheck to make a comeback. And a rematch with Alvarez next year with Zuffa Boxing can very well be in the book. But do you agree with Eddie Hearn’s take on the Canelo-Crawford loss? Was it really a loss for Alashikh?