Canelo Alvarez just got himself paid.
The Golden Boy Promotions star, fresh off his brace of contests with Gennady Golovkin, has signed a deal with streaming service DAZN worth a minimum of $365 million, spanning five years and 11 fights.
DAZN launched in the United States last month.
Canelo’s move comes after HBO announced it, after 45 years, would no longer be involved in boxing going forward. As such, Canelo and Golden Boy became free agents in an increasingly interesting boxing distribution scene. The boxer will begin under the DAZN umbrella with his move to super middleweight on December 15 at Madison Square Garden against world champion Rocky Fielding.
The deal is the richest athlete contract in sporting history. Interestingly, it’ll now allow fans to watch Canelo’s fights for $9.99 per month, instead of the usual $65+ on pay-per-view.
“This is only from my hard work,” Alvarez said, speaking with ESPN. “The most important thing to me was being able to give the fans the opportunity to see me fight without having to pay the $70 or $80 for my fights on pay-per-view. That was the most important thing, more important than what I am making.
“It’s very important for me to give the fans the biggest fights and the most important fights, and I promise you I will always do that. The December fight with Fielding is a dangerous fight. I am moving up in weight, and I don’t know how my body will feel. But I always want to take on challenges, and I am very happy my fans will be able to see me fight for a small cost.”
