Canelo Alvarez and Turki Alalshikh | Photo by Mark Robinson/Getty Images

Canelo Alvarez is on board with TKO moving into boxing.

Earlier this week, UFC CEO Dana White and Turki Alalshikh announced they officially signed a deal to launch a new boxing league under the TKO banner. While details are sparse on things like who will fight under the banner, the announcement was nonetheless major for the sport of boxing, and Alvarez stands behind it.

“I think if it’s the best for the fighters out there, I’m fine with that,” Alvarez told CBS Sports’ Brian Campbell. “I think [TKO] is going to do the best for the fighters, I’m pretty sure about that. I’m glad someone takes good care of the fighters, because there are a lot of promoters that don’t take seriously the fighters. I think this is good for boxing and for the fighters, especially.”

Alvarez is one of the biggest names currently competing in boxing and recently signed a multi-fight promotional deal with Alalshikh. The unified super middleweight champion will next look to become undisputed when he takes on William Scull on May 3 at The Venue Riyadh as part of Riyadh Season. Should he prove successful, Canelo even says there’s a possibility that his next fight would then be the first marquee event for the TKO brand.

“There’s always an opportunity to fight in September in Las Vegas,” Alvarez said. “Those are my dates and everyone knows that. But I need to take care of the May fight first and we’ll see in September. Bt there’s a possibility to fight in September in Las Vegas and be the first event for [TKO] as a promoter.”

With a record of 62-2-2, Alvarez is still regarded as one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the sport. He most recently defended his unified titles with a unanimous decision win over Edgar Berlanga in September.

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FINAL THOUGHTS

It’s finally here. One more sleep, and we finally establish who the best light heavyweight on Earth is. I’m pumped. And the rest of this card is sneaky good fun, too. Enjoy it this weekend, y’all.

EXIT POLL

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