The tension was palpable at Thursday’s boxing press conference as Mexican superstar Canelo Alvarez took exception to commentator Max Kellerman’s praise of UFC CEO Dana White, leading to an unexpected confrontation.
According to recent videos of the event, the incident unfolded when Kellerman used his microphone time to deliver what many considered excessive accolades for White’s promotional abilities. The sports personality didn’t hold back in his assessment, declaring White “the greatest combat sports promoter in my lifetime” and crediting him with transforming the UFC into an institutional powerhouse comparable to major American sports leagues.
However, it was Kellerman’s subsequent commentary about boxing’s current status that sparked Alvarez’s immediate intervention. The commentator suggested that boxing had lost significant ground in the popularity stakes, directly attributing the UFC’s rise to White’s promotional genius.
“You know why boxing’s not as popular as it used to be anymore, right?” Kellerman said during his remarks. “UFC is really popular. That’s because of Dana White. He built something like the NBA. He’s about to do it for boxing again, for boxing now.”
The Mexican champion wasn’t about to let such statements go unchallenged. Alvarez interrupted Kellerman mid-flow, his voice cutting through the commentator’s monologue with clear displeasure.
“Hey, Max,” Alvarez spoke into the microphone, before delivering a passionate defense of his sport. “Hey, Max… Boxing is always bigger and bigger and big. Don’t say boxing is not big enough. Boxing is big. You know how big is boxing…”
The crowd’s enthusiastic response seemed to validate Alvarez’s position, creating an electric atmosphere as the pound-for-pound king continued his impromptu rebuttal.
Kellerman attempted to clarify his position, asking whether boxing should grow even larger, but Alvarez remained steadfast in his assertion of the sport’s enduring significance.
“Maybe it’s gonna be bigger, but look, boxing is always big and big and bigger and bigger and bigger,” Canelo emphasized. “We need to talk about that, too. How big is boxing? Boxing is boxing.”
His upcoming opponent, Terence Crawford, showed solidarity with Alvarez’s stance, simply stating “No lies” in support of the Mexican’s passionate defense.
Alvarez concluded his impromptu speech with a statement that drew a clear line in the sand: “There is no comparison. Respect for other sports, great job on everything, but boxing is boxing.”
The exchange revealed the sensitivity surrounding boxing’s perceived decline in mainstream popularity, particularly as the sport prepares for what many consider its biggest event of the year. The Canelo-Crawford bout represents a significant moment for boxing, especially with White’s Zuffa Boxing venture making its debut with this high-profile matchup.
Interestingly, the press conference concluded with another awkward moment involving White himself. Saudi entertainment authority chairman Turki Alalshikh appeared to set up White for a major announcement, telling the assembled media that the UFC CEO had “a big surprise” to reveal.
However, White opted not to make any special proclamation, instead offering standard closing remarks: “Thanks for coming out tonight everybody. We appreciate it. We’re going to face these guys off for photo ops. We’ll see you at the weigh-ins.”
