Anik will run play-by-play commentary of the fights from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, which will stream live internationally to a massive global audience on Netflix. It’s a huge sporting occasion, and one that Anik is thoroughly looking forward to being a part of.
“I’m so excited,” Anik told IFL TV.
“You know, oftentimes I say that a crowd is a performance-enhancing drug for a commentator. We don’t do a lot of stadium shows in the UFC, I’ve got 20,000 people behind me on an average Saturday night. Now, I’ve got 70,000 strong at Allegiant Stadium.”
Anik set the stakes for fight night as two of boxing’s best of the current era prepare to go head to head for the undisputed super middleweight title in Las Vegas.
“As a guy who is getting back into the boxing world from MMA, take this for what it is, OK, but I feel like these guys are in there fighting primes,” he offered.
“I think too much has been made of certain things in recent fights. This is the best fight that boxing can put together right now. A hugely consequential fight in terms of both legacies. It’s hard to be considered an all time great in boxing, right? Like if you’re in basketball, LeBron James Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, right? Your Mount Rushmore is basically determined, right?
“But some people say if Bud Crawford wins this weekend. He’s top 15 all-time. Some people say top three all-time. What if Canelo Alvarez wins, right? (There’s) so much at stake this weekend, and I am truly humbled to have a microphone, and just can’t wait to get in the building Saturday night.”
As a commentator who is renowned for his meticulous preparation for big fight nights in his UFC commentary career, Anik said that has employed the same process to his prep for his return to boxing commentary, and he even tipped the hat to one of boxing broadcasting’s all-time greats as he admitted his slight surprise at getting the call to lead the commentary team for fight night.
“You know, some people are going to suggest that I’m under qualified,” he said.
“Certainly, if I was putting the broadcast team together, I might have gone with Jim Lampley, the greatest boxing play-by-play commentator of all time, but I’m thrilled they called my number. I’m sure they have reasons as to why, and I think a lot of that is rooted in the preparation.
“So I felt the pressure to close the gap on the preparation, to try to sort of condense 10 years of prep into three weeks (of) time. But, once I get to Saturday night, you know, it’s almost like an athlete going through a training camp, that’s just the time to shine, and you just sort of let the skills take over, and it’s going to be what it’s going to be.
“There are going to people be people who are happy and unhappy, and things are going to go sideways, because it’s live TV. But no, the pressure and the anxiety is in the preparation, and not the performance.”
And when asked to offer a prediction on how he thinks the fight will go, Anik was sure to keep his professionalism front and centre as he avoided making a specific prediction of who will win, but he did offer a thought on how the fight might pan out.
“I can’t get too predictive. I do think it’s going to be a long fight, but I think we’re going to get a late knockout,” he said.
“A lot of eyebrows are raised, and there’s a lot of money to be made if there is a finish, but I do think that no main event in combat sports is bulletproof, right? A lot of main events that can be billed as chaotic and amazing can end up being snoozers. And could one of these fighters take the air out of this fight? Absolutely.
“But I think the environment, the atmosphere, is going to heighten the performances. I think it’s going to be absolutely epic. I think Bud Crawford is going to be challenged by the physicality, and I think it’s going to bring out the best in him. And I think it’s going to be an absolute war. It’s going to be bloody.
“I don’t think it’s going to be the fight of the fight of the year, necessarily, but I think it’s going to exceed expectations.”
