Unified world middleweight boxing champion Santos Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez has signed the largest contract in the history of sport, after agreeing to a US$365m (NZ$557m) deal with streaming service DAZN.
The Mexican, signed a five-year, 11-fight deal - the highest-paying athlete contract in history.
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DAZN became the broadcast home of boxing in the United States after HBO announced that it was getting out of the fight business in September. The signing of Alvarez kicks off the DAZN-boxing partnership with an exclamation point and plenty of zeroes.
His first fight on the deal will take place against WBA world super middleweight champion Rocky Fielding at New York City's Madison Square Garden in December.
Alvarez, 28, will step up a weight class for the fight and said he was "humbled" to be selected for the contract.
"The most important thing to me was being able to give the fans the opportunity to see me fight without having to pay the $70 or $80 for my fights on pay-per-view," Alvarez told ESPN.
"That was the most important thing, more important than what I am making.
"It's very important for me to give the fans the biggest fights and the most important fights, and I promise you I will always do that.
"The December fight with Fielding is a dangerous fight. I am moving up in weight and I don't know how my body will feel.
"But I always want to take on challenges and I am very happy my fans will be able to see me fight for a small cost."
Alvarez has a 50-1-2 career record, with 34 KOs.
His contract surpasses that of baseball star Giancarlo Stanton, who signed a 13-year, $325 million (NZ$470m) with the Miami Marlins in 2014. He is now with the New York Yankees.
Anthony Joshua's promoter, Eddie Hearn, has a deal with DANZ, which he signed in May, worth US$1billion (NZ$1.53b).
Hearn's Matchroom Boxing stable agreed to stage 16 shows in America, streamed exclusively on DAZN, while 16 shows in the UK will also be shown on the platform.
The deal is for at least two years and has the option of a six-year extension.
Joshua's knockout victory over Alexander Povetkin last month was the first major event to stream on DAZN.
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