Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Premier Boxing Champions had already scheduled Alvarez’s eighth Mexican Independence Day weekend fight since 2012 to take place in Las Vegas when the four-division champion learned the UFC would be staging a bout at the new Sphere that same night, September 14.

Later, Alvarez, who is never afraid of competition, said: “I heard someone say he was going to ‘eat me’ or something.”

That ‘someone’ was none other than boxing’s new powerhouse, Saudi Turki Alalshikh, who announced after a meeting with UFC CEO Dana White in June that Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Season would join as a multi-million dollar co-sponsor of the UFC 306 card at the Sphere.

Now, after the literal battle the most popular boxer must wage against Brooklyn’s Edgar Berlanga at the T-Mobile Arena, Alvarez has discovered his appeal in a fight against Alalshikh, White and mixed martial arts.

“I didn’t do this fight (to compete with the UFC),” Alvarez told BoxingScene this week. “I don’t want to bother anyone. But I like to fight on my dates, in September. I have my fans. I’m happy with that and very grateful for that. I’m just doing my job, and that’s it.”

While White has criticized MGM officials for not informing him that PBC head Al Haymon had “taken away” the date, BoxingScene confirmed that PBC’s request to the Nevada Athletic Commission to reserve T-Mobile Arena for Sept. 14 was registered months before UFC applied for The Sphere.

In an odd-man-out move, Alvarez took a last-minute bout with former undisputed junior middleweight titleholder Jermell Charlo last year and fought later on Sept. 30. That allowed the UFC to book T-Mobile for a small bout at the arena on Mexican Independence Day weekend.

This year, White estimates the production cost for the extravagant Sphere show at $20 million, as the UFC reportedly plans an awe-inspiring combat sports retrospective and tribute to Latin American fighting greats. The rumored eight-figure sponsorship deal in Saudi Arabia likely helped defray some of that cost.

On the other side of The Strip will be Mexico’s favorite fighter, who is expecting his second action-packed fight this year against a younger contender. Berlanga has Puerto Rican bloodlines and has knocked out his first 16 opponents in the first round.

In a point refuted by Premier Boxing Champions, White claimed in recent comments to World Boxing News that MGM “guarantees access to” PBC for Alvarez-Berlanga.

“Why wouldn’t they go if MGM is putting all the money on the table?” White asked in the World Boxing News article, describing the perceived insult as “an extra kick in the balls.”

Two people involved in the administration of the Alvarez-Berlanga tickets told BoxingScene that MGM routinely purchases premiere and other seats to high-profile combat sports events on its property – including UFC fights – and distributes them to its top clients.

According to one of the sources, this match will be similar to most major boxing matches. MGM will probably spend around $1.5 million on tickets for Alvarez-Berlanga.

MGM is not affiliated with The Sphere, a stadium in Madison Square Garden, and therefore has no obligation to purchase the same ticket for the UFC.

White says he is in talks with MGM Resorts International CEO and President Bill Hornbuckle to resolve his dispute with the “(MGM) arena guys,” whom he called “douchebags,” and said he will begin staging fights at MGM-related venues again, calling the Sphere card a “one-and-done.”

As for competition in ticket sales, one combat sports ticket broker said the UFC event at the 18,600-seat Sphere will likely outsell live sales at the 20,000-seat T-Mobile Arena.

At T-Mobile, hundreds of seats in the upper echelons are expected to be blocked due to price, while The Sphere benefits from an additional financial boost thanks to its two dozen suites.

According to the broker, each promotion involved pricing errors at the beginning.

“Both organizations are suffering somewhat under the weight of their own highly unrealistic views on ticket prices, and both organizations have suffered from multiple price cuts,” the ticket agent said.

The initial overpricing is a trend in the industry, both in live sports and concerts, the broker said, which “drives customers away and (promoters) have to wait” for sales to resume when prices are lowered.

It happened earlier this year at the Ryan Garcia-Devin Haney boxing match in Brooklyn, New York, and earlier this month at Alalshikh’s Card in Los Angeles, headlined by four-time champion Terence Crawford, where huge amounts of tickets were given away or distributed at discounted prices to a local ticket seller.

“(The UFC) was able to bear the risk of overpricing at The Sphere because they had taken over the sponsorship money from (the Alalshikh-Riyadh season),” the ticket agent said.

But from a starting price of $1,250, tickets for the upper balconies at The Sphere have dropped to $850 – a 30 percent reduction – and floor tickets have dropped from $4,000 to $3,500.

PBC has cut opening prices by 10 to 30 percent, the broker said.

“I think you’ll see some more (price) adjustments in the next two weeks before Saturday,” the broker said.

As of Thursday, there were fewer primary tickets (1,509) left for the Alvarez fight, according to the agent, compared to the 2,100 remaining at The Sphere. Resales, secondary market seats and an undisclosed number of tickets being held for future sales are not included in those numbers.

The total sales figures are ultimately tracked by the Nevada Athletic Commission. Alvarez admits he is confident that the tradition of his cards falling on a major national holiday will ensure his fight gets a lot of support.

“You know, competition is good. I see it as a challenge. I’m just going to do my best and take good care of the people that support me,” Alvarez told BoxingScene.

One person who loves both events is Las Vegas-based ticket seller Ken Solky. He sells both UFC and Alvarez tickets through lasvegastickets.com and 1-800-LASVEGAS.

“They both have a unique fan base and you can be sure that both venues will be rocking on September 14,” said Solky.

“You have The Sphere, in its first year after hosting U2, The Dead and Company and Phish (residencies), with people wanting to come see the first fight and Dana saying it’s a one-time event.

“Plus, you have the Mexican tradition of a big boxing card – this rite of passage. The city wins. Martial arts wins. Everybody wins.”

Of course, don’t be surprised if the team collects the most live-gate dollars and considers their victory the most important victory of all.

Lance Pugmire is BoxingScene’s senior U.S. writer and an assistant producer for ProBox TV. Pugmire has covered boxing since the early 2000s, first for the Los Angeles Times and then for The Athletic and USA Today. He won the 2022 Nat Fleischer Award for career excellence from the Boxing Writers’ Association of America.