Canelo Alvarez vs. Billy Joe Saunders had a higher in-person attendance than Superbowl LVI.
The Superbowl LVI was held at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, California. A staggering 70,048 people were in attendance at the stadium to watch the game. However, the Canelo vs. Saunders fight at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas had an in-person attendance of 73,126.
The fight broke an all-time attendance record for an indoor boxing event held in the United States. What is more impressive is the fact that the attendance was that high in the middle of the pandemic when everything else was shut down. Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Boxing did a great job at promoting the fight which is why it sold so many pay-per-views as well.
The Superbowl is often considered the biggest sporting event in the United States. Millions of Americans tune in to watch the final and thousands show up to watch the game live at the stadium. The fact that Canelo vs. Saunders managed to attract a bigger crowd than the biggest sporting event in the US is astounding. It goes to show how big of a draw Canelo Alvarez is.
The Undisputed Super-Middleweight Champion, also the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world, is boxing's biggest attraction right now. After a record-breaking 2021, Canelo will look to break more records and make history in 2022.
Canelo Alvarez 2021 year recap
2021 was a historic year for Canelo Alvarez. He started and ended the year as the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world and added more titles to his name. He started the year off by taking on Billy Joe Saunders for the WBO title. He put on a masterclass against the Brit who suffered a broken right orbital bone at the hands of 'Cinnamon'. He then looked to make history against Caleb Plant.
Alvarez took on the unbeaten IBF Super-Middleweight Champion in a bid to become the first ever Undisputed Champion at Super-Middleweight. He put on yet another dominant display against 'Sweet Hands', knocking him down in the 11th round to secure all the belts in the super-middleweight division.
Canelo looked to make history yet again by taking on Ilunga Makabu at Cruiserweight. However, his plans fell through as Makabu first had to defend his WBC Cruiserweight title against Thabiso Mchunu. Canelo is still on the lookout for his next opponent with a lot of options on the table.