Boxing Insider Notebook for Canelo vs. Khan
By: William Holmes
The following is a special edition of the Boxing Insider notebook of the upcoming Canelo vs. Khan PPV Bout that is currently scheduled for May 7, 2016.
ESPN and ESPN Deportes to Present Extensive Coverage Around Canelo Alvarez vs. Khan
ESPN and ESPN Deportes offer extensive pre- and post-fight multi-platform coverage of the anticipated middleweight championship between defending title Saúl “Canelo” Alvarez and Amir Khan, including special bilingual production led by ESPN Deportes’ A Los Golpes and One Nación to air on Friday, May 6 at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
Hosted by Bernardo Osuna and Claudia Trejos from the ESPN studios in Los Angeles, the 30-minute pre-bout show goes behind the scenes the anticipated fight with a unique look at Alvarez and Khan’s training, and the analysis of Mexican world champion Julio Cesar Chavez alongside special guests commentator Max Kellerman and boxing trainer Abel Sánchez.
In addition, ESPN Deportes will present weeklong multimedia coverage beginning Monday, May 2, at 6 p.m. ET, with a special edition of A Los Golpes, hosted by the network’s experts David Faitelson, Osuna and Chávez, and featuring special guest, Oscar De La Hoya.
The network will also present special segments from Las Vegas, Nevada, on SportsCenter, Capitanes, Nación ESPN and #Redes; followed by a live edition of Golpe A Golpe from the weigh-in on Friday, May 6, starting at 6 p.m. ET.
On Sunday, May 7, Golpe a Golpe will lead the pre- and post-fight live coverage from the Arena, with the analysis of Osuna, Faitelson, Juan Manuel Marquez, Chavez, Trejos, Joe Cortez and Jorge Eduardo Sanchez, starting at 8 p.m. ET.
Oscar De La Hoya Challenges Donald Trump to Come See Firsthand ‘What Mexicans and Muslims Can Achieve’
Laying down the gauntlet against Presidential Candidate Donald Trump for his disparaging comments about Mexicans and Muslims, Golden Boy Promotions Chairman and CEO today offered the GOP frontrunner two free ringside seats to watch the Canelo vs. Khan super-fight showdown on May 7 in Las Vegas during a live interview on Fox Business News TV’s “Cavuto Coast to Coast.”
On Cinco de Mayo weekend, De La Hoya will bring together Mexican superstar, WBC, Ring Magazine and Lineal Middleweight Champion Canelo Alvarez (46-1-1, 32 KOs) and British Muslim boxing star Amir “King” Khan (34-3, 19 KOs) at the new T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas for an international boxing event that will be broadcast live on HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.
“I want to take this opportunity to invite Mr. Trump to the Canelo vs. Khan fight on May 7 in Las Vegas,” said Oscar De La Hoya during his interview with Neil Cavuto on “Cavuto Coast to Coast” today. “I have Amir Khan, a Muslim fighter from the UK, fighting against the most popular boxer in Mexico, Canelo Alvarez, opening up the new T-Mobile Arena. We have an opportunity to show Mr. Trump just what Mexicans and Muslims can achieve — and in a city that screams America: Las Vegas. Trump, let me invite you so that you can see what a Mexican and a Muslim can generate.”
Raised in East Los Angeles by Mexican immigrant parents, De La Hoya named Trump when asked how he came up with the Canelo vs. Khan match, citing Trump’s controversial comments of Mexican immigrants and Muslims as an incentive to bring these two popular and diversely cultural fighters together in the ring.
Tecate Offering Several Promotions for Canelo vs. Khan
Tecate, the fight’s presenting and exclusive beer sponsor, is launching several digital activations to bring fans 21+ closer to the May 7 international mega fight. Canelo Alvarez (46-1-1, 32 KOs) is set to face former two-time world champion, Amir “King” Khan (31-3, 19 KOs) in an action-packed event at the new-state-of-the-art T-Mobile Arena produced and distributed by HBO Pay-Per-View®.
In February, Tecate, Golden Boy Promotions and boxing’s biggest star, current WBC, RING Magazine and Lineal Middleweight Champion Canelo Alvarez, announced they were partnering and would feature the prizefighter in the brand’s upcoming national English and Spanish advertising broadcast campaign which debuted on April 11.
Today, Tecate and Golden Boy Promotions are releasing the free Bold Punch iOS app which integrates fans 21+ into all the fight week activities starting on Monday, May 2 via live streams and virtually in the ring during fight night. The knockout app, demonstrated here by the Tecate Chicas, features five unique types of content for fight fans including, for the first time ever, the ability to feel one of Canelo’s power punches:
Punches – Don’t just see the punches, feel them. Every time Canelo lands a bold punch, your phone will vibrate to reflect the bold intensity of the match.
Behind-the-scenes-video – Live streams and exclusive pre-fight locker room content.
See Fight – All of the ways to see the fight – from where to buy tickets to how to watch the fight live on HBO or in theaters via Fathom Events.
Tecate – Check out the latest national television campaign featuring Canelo Alvarez and the brand’s iconic black eagle.
Fighters – A quick tale of the tape that highlights the fighters’ important stats ahead of the fight.
“Tecate is synonymous with both legendary fights, and the experiences we create for consumers surrounding our partnerships,” said Felix Palau, Vice President of Tecate Brand Marketing. “Unlike past physical activations, our goal here is to leverage Canelo’s international star power, creating digital experiences that can be felt by the masses – whether you’re heading to Vegas or planning to enjoy the fight at home with friends.”
Starting Wednesday, April 27, Tecate is launching a dedicated Twitter promotion giving fans 21+ the opportunity to win their very own version of the WBC world championship belt by following @Tecate and clicking the button “#BoldestBeltSweeps” from the brand’s latest tweet featuring Canelo. By entering, users are agreeing to the promotion’s terms and conditions and a tweet is automatically generated, alerting their followers that they want to win the #BoldestBeltSweeps. Five winners will be announced by the Tecate Chicas through the brand’s Twitter live stream on Friday, May 6 before the fight’s 2:30 pm PDT weigh-in.
To date, Tecate’s promotion of Canelo vs. Khan includes a national English and Spanish advertising broadcast campaign featuring Canelo in ‘Flashy’; the popular, national, no purchase necessary mail-in-rebate program; extensive media buys across Las Vegas from bus and building wraps to digital billboards; an aggressive national retail program across 6,000+ stores; and will be prominently featured on Canelo’s trunks and at the center ring, around the mat and throughout the arena.
Canelo vs. Khan Closed Circuit Tickets on Sale
Tickets for the closed circuit telecasts of Canelo vs. Khan are priced at $60, not including applicable fees. All seats are general admission and are ON SALE NOW at each individual property’s box office outlets or by phone with a major credit card at 866-431-7111.
HBO Sports is the Fight Fan’s Destination for Canelo vs. Khan
HBO Sports is the fight fan’s destination for Canelo vs. Khan fight week news and information, providing viewers with an in-depth look across television, digital and social platforms at the blockbuster middleweight championship showdown set for Saturday, May 7 from the new T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The mega-event will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.
Fans will have access to original programming, specials, updates from HBO Boxing Insiders and exclusive videos leading up to fight night. There will also be behind-the-scenes photos, videos, live streams and other customized content available.
The HBO Boxing Podcast will have daily episodes throughout fight week, including live episodes on the ground at the MGM Grand. You can listen to the HBO Boxing Podcast on iTunes:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/hbo-boxing/id847703257?mt=2, SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/hboboxing and Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/hbo-boxing-podcast
Monday, May 2
24/7 Canelo/Khan episode #1 – 9:30 p.m. (ET/PT) HBO2
24/7 Canelo/Khan episode #2 – 10:00 p.m. (ET/PT) HBO2
HBO Boxing Podcast – “Stat Chat”
Tuesday, May 3
Face Off With Max Kellerman: Canelo/Khan – 3:15 p.m. (ET/PT) HBO2
24/7 Canelo/Khan episode #1 – 7:00 p.m. (ET/PT) HBO2
24/7 Canelo/Khan episode #2 – 7:30 p.m. (ET/PT) HBO2
HBO Boxing Podcast – “Official Fight Preview”
Wednesday, May 4
Final Press Conference streamed live – 3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. PT
Link: https://youtu.be/oPBS0vwmeXk
Face Off With Max Kellerman: Canelo/Khan – 5:00 p.m. (ET/PT) HBO
HBO Boxing Podcast – “Canelo-Khan Mailbag”
Friday, May 6
Official Weigh-In streamed live – 5:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. PT
Link: https://youtu.be/Uy8PWiKjOz8
Canelo/Khan Programming Stacks on HBO
Face Off With Max Kellerman: Canelo/Khan 6:45 p.m. (ET/PT)
24/7 Canelo/Khan episode #1 – 7:00 p.m. (ET/PT)
24/7 Canelo/Khan episode #2 – 7:30 p.m. (ET/PT)
HBO Boxing Podcast – “Post Weigh-In Discussion”
Saturday, May 7
Canelo/Khan Programming Stacks on HBO
Face Off With Max Kellerman: Canelo/Khan 3:00 p.m. (ET/PT)
24/7 Canelo/Khan episode #1 – 3:15 p.m. (ET/PT)
24/7 Canelo/Khan episode #2 – 3:45 p.m. (ET/PT)
Preliminary Undercards streamed live – 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT
Link: https://youtu.be/Jgpi-suSp0A
HBO Boxing Podcast – “Live Post-Fight Discussion”
Boxing fans can also view “Cotto vs. Canelo 2015” and “Khan vs. Maidana 2010”. These classic fights are available on HBO On Demand, HBO GO, HBO NOW, HBO.com and YouTube.com/HBOBoxing.
