The biggest fight on the boxing calendar will be officiated by a crew familiar to this stage.
Veteran referee Thomas Taylor was appointed to serve as the third man in the ring for the Saul “Canelo” Alvarez-Terence Crawford undisputed super middleweight championship. Their scheduled 12-round contest will headline a September 13 Netflix event from Allegiant Stadium, home to the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders.
Taylor was unanimously approved by the Nevada State Athletic Commission panel during its monthly agenda hearing on Thursday at state headquarters in Vegas. The panel also selected Tim Cheatham (Nevada), Max DeLuca (New York via California) and Steve Weisfeld (New Jersey) to serve as the three ringside judges.
For his in-ring role, Taylor will earn $25,000. Each of the three judges will earn $20,000, regardless of whether the bout goes to the scorecards.
The same four officials all worked together for the last big fight in Vegas, the July 19 Mario Barrios-Manny Pacquiao WBC welterweight title fight at MGM Grand Garden Arena. While the three judges are among the sport’s best, the final outcome – a majority draw – was widely criticized, as many felt the comebacking Pacquiao deserved the nod. The verdict denied Pacquiao the chance to break his own record as the oldest welterweight titlist in boxing history.
Nevertheless, the four appointed officials otherwise have a stellar track record.
As was the case with Pacquiao, this marks the first time that Taylor will serve as referee for any bout involving Crawford, 41-0 (31 KOs).
It is also just Taylor’s second assignment involving Mexico’s Alvarez, 63-2-2 (39 KOs). The lone other occasion came in Alvarez’s 12-round, unanimous decision win over countryman Jaime Munguia last May 4 at T-Mobile Arena.
Judges Cheatham and Weisfeld also worked that fight.
Interestingly, Weisfeld will now serve as a judge in the fourth time in the past five fights for both Alvarez and Crawford. Overall, it is his tenth assignment involving Alvarez and eighth for Crawford, including his fourth in a row.
The night will be Deluca’s eighth time as a judge for a fight involving Alvarez, while the fourth such occasion for Cheatham. Both will work a Crawford fight for the third time each.
Alvarez will attempt his tenth defense of at least two super middleweight titles and The Ring championship and his sixth overall as undisputed champion, spanning two reigns.
He was previously stripped of the IBF belt when he failed to defend against William Scull and instead faced WBA number-one contender Edgar Berlanga. Alvarez circled the block and regained the IBF strap in his most recent bout, a twelve-round win over the previously unbeaten Scull on May 3 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (May 4 local time).
The clash with Crawford will mark the first time he fights outside of Pay-Per-View since his May 2021 stoppage win over Billy Joe Saunders. Their WBA, WBC and WBO 168lbs title unification bout aired live on DAZN, before he headlined eight consecutive PPV events.
Crawford moves up two weight divisions in his bid to enter GOAT (Greatest of All Time) conversation.
Already assured a spot in the Hall of Fame, the unbeaten four-division champ only moved up to 154lbs last summer, where he outpointed unbeaten Israil Madrimov to claim the WBA title. He now has the chance to become a five-division titlist, including his fourth lineal champ (previously held at 135lbs, 140lbs and 147lbs) and third undisputed crown (140, 147).
Alvarez is currently listed as a -195 favorite according to bet365 sportsbook, which has Crawford at a modest +155 underdog.
