Two of boxing’s greatest fighters, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Terence “Bud” Crawford, will put their legacies on the line when they meet in a contest being called the “Fight of the Century”.

The pair will clash in a fascinating unified super middleweight title matchup in the United States that sees Alvarez, the reigning super middleweight champion at 76kg (168lb), defend his titles against Crawford, an American who has won 10 world titles boxing at lighter weight classifications but has never fought in excess of 70kg (154lb) and is jumping up two weight classes to fight his Mexican opponent.

Here’s what you need to know before the fight:

When is the Alvarez-Crawford fight?

The ring walk for Saturday’s main fight in Las Vegas, Nevada, is scheduled for 8pm (03:00 GMT Sunday), and the bout will begin a short time later.

Where is the Alvarez-Crawford fight taking place?

The venue for the match is the 65,000-seat Allegiant Stadium, home to the Las Vegas Raiders NFL team.

The venue is being used because it has a much larger capacity than other indoor boxing venues typically used, namely T-Mobile Arena, which holds 20,000 people for boxing and UFC contests.

Where can I follow and watch the fight live?

You can follow Al Jazeera’s build-up and live fight text and photo coverage here.

The bout will be streamed live globally on Netflix. A subscription is required to watch the event.

What are the pre-fight events?

Building up to the fight, the main news conference will occur at 3pm (22:00 GMT) on Thursday at T-Mobile Arena.

The official weigh-in will take place on Friday at 3pm (22:00 GMT), also at T-Mobile Arena.

What titles are Alvarez and Crawford fighting for?

Alvarez and Crawford are fighting for the Mexican’s WBO, WBA, IBF and WBC super middleweight world titles as well as the Ring Magazine title.

If Crawford beats Alvarez, he will become the first male boxer to be a three-weight-class undisputed champion in the four-belt era.

How much weight does Crawford have to gain to fight Alvarez?

Crawford, the current WBA super welterweight champion, will jump up about 6kg (14lb) to reach the 76kg (168lb) weight limit for the super middleweight bout against Alvarez.

The American will have a slight height advantage over Alvarez, standing 1.73 metres (5ft, 8 inches) vs his opponent’s 1.71 metres (5ft, 7.5 inches).

Crawford also has a 10cm (4-inch) reach advantage over the Mexican fighter (188cm/74 inches vs 178cm/70 inches).

Is Crawford carrying a shoulder injury?

There has been constant speculation in recent days that Crawford is struggling with a shoulder injury heading into Saturday’s huge fight.

In a Fight Hub TV interview broadcast on Tuesday, he denied the injury rumours.

“Where I got the shoulder injury from, I don’t know. I see people coming up with all their own antics, you know ‘Terrence Crawford got a shoulder injury,’ ‘Terrence Crawford is out of shape,’ ‘Terrence Crawford’s slow.’ They coming up with all kinds of stuff,” he said.

Who is Canelo Alvarez?

Alvarez (61-2-2, 39 KOs), is Mexico’s biggest boxing star and a winner of 11 boxing world titles over an illustrious 20-year career.

The orthodox fighter never enjoyed a sterling amateur career, having turned professional at just 15 years old.

The 35-year-old is a four-division world champion: light middleweight, middleweight, super middleweight and light heavyweight.

In 2021, Alvarez became the first and only boxer in history to become the undisputed super middleweight champion when he knocked out Caleb Plant.

His two career losses have come against fellow legends Floyd Mayweather Jr and Dmitry Bivol but did little to dent Alvarez’s enormous popularity with boxing fans across the world.

Who is Terence Crawford?

Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) from Omaha, Nebraska, began his boxing career in 2008 and is undefeated as a professional.

The 37-year-old southpaw, who has won 10-world titles in total, is a former lightweight champion, junior welterweight undisputed champion and welterweight undisputed champion. Crawford is the current unified welterweight champion and WBA junior middleweight champion.

For his career, he is a four-division world champion and has held undisputed titles in two weight classes: super lightweight and welterweight.

Who is on the undercard?

The preliminary card is scheduled to begin at 3:30pm (22:30 GMT) and the main card at 6pm (01:00 GMT on Sunday).

Main event:

• Alvarez vs Crawford (super middleweight)
• Callum Walsh vs Fernando Vargas Jr (super welterweight – co-main event)
• Christian Mbilli vs Lester Martinez (super middleweight)
• Mohammed Alakel vs John Ornelas (lightweight)

Preliminary card:

• Serhii Bohachuk vs Brandon Adams (middleweight)
• Ivan Dychko vs Jermaine Franklin (heavyweight)
• Reito Tsutsumi vs Javier Martinez (super featherweight)
• Sultan Almohammed vs Martin Caraballo (super lightweight)
• Steven Nelson vs Raiko Santana (light heavyweight)
• Marco Verde vs Marcos Osorio Betancourt (super middleweight)

What is the fight purse?

The total prize money has not been revealed, but it has been calculated as high as $150m, according to multiple media reports.

Alvarez will have a career-high payday with the Mexican earning a minimum of $100m for this fight thanks to signing one of the most lucrative boxing contracts in history: an astronomical five-fight, $400m deal with Saudi promoter Turki Al-Sheikh’s Riyadh Season.

Crawford is guaranteed a minimum of $10m although his final figure is likely to be substantially higher with bonuses and other payments.

Crawford, when asked about rumours of a $50m payday during a recent interview on the Ring Champs podcast, rejected the figure.

“I got $10m for that fight [with Alvarez],” Crawford said of his guaranteed prize purse.

What has Alvarez said about the fight?

Alvarez, speaking at the Grand Arrivals event in Las Vegas on Tuesday, asked whether Crawford’s team have underestimated moving up two weight classes.

“No, they don’t [underestimate the weight class]. Maybe they know, but if not, then I’m going to remind them September 13 I can do a lot of things in the ring, and I’m going to put everything there on Saturday night,” he said.

When asked about Crawford’s recent social post that appears to reveal extra muscle mass on the American fighter, Alvarez commented that he thought that bodes well for a competitive contest.

“I feel happy because you know that you realise it’s going to be a good fight. So we expect a good fight.”

What has Crawford said about the fight?

Crawford is calling the matchup the biggest fight in boxing in “probably a decade” as he bids to become the first male boxer to be undisputed in three weight classes.

“Canelo don’t want to lose to a guy moving up two weight classes,” Crawford said. “You know, he don’t want a smaller guy dethroning him from his undisputed status. Terence Crawford wants to move up and do all those things.

“He’s got a lot to lose. I got a lot to win. I got a lot to lose. He’s got a lot to win.”

The American praised Alvarez’s experience and career while backing his own tools to carry the night.

“Canelo is very experienced. I’m very experienced as well. You got two experienced fighters going head-to-head. The best man is going to win,” he said, adding that his footwork and speed could be decisive.

“I admire his whole career. He and his team have done a tremendous job,” Crawford said, adding that after he wins the battle, he will wish Alvarez “nothing but the best”.

Crawford predicted how the bout would end: “Victory. A good victory… They’re going to be saying that I’m the greatest of this generation and this era.”

Who is the favourite to win the match?

Multiple betting agencies around the world have Alvarez as the favourite to win the fight – but not by a wide margin.

On average, the Mexican pays out $1.60 for the victory vs Crawford’s $2.60 across several well-known betting pools.