St. Paul boxer Slink Proper fighting on Canelo vs. Crawford undercard

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX 9) - St. Paul's Sona Akale, otherwise known as Slink Proper, won't be pulling any punches during his fight on the Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford undercard. 

Mind-blowing chance

Big picture view:

Slink Proper (9-3, 4 KOs) has been honing his craft in the ring since his first pro boxing match in 2019.

At 37-years-old, his talents are now taking him to the largest stage of his career yet, by far. 

"I feel excited. I'm just soaking it in, man. Just soaking it in," said Proper from his hotel room in Las Vegas.

Proper says the fight was negotiated less than a week before the event.

"Sunday night, 11 p.m., we finally came to an agreement," Slink said. "Before you know it, I was sent my itinerary at 12 a.m. that morning saying that I had to leave." 

Proper will now be on the undercard when Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford trade blows in Las Vegas on Saturday night.

The legacy-defining match will be streamed around the world on Netflix, possibly drawing the largest audience ever for a major boxing event.

That level of exposure could easily change a boxing career's course. 

"It catapults it," Proper said. "Just getting the fight and being on the stage like this in front of millions, just that alone," said Proper.

Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford 

Two of boxing's greats:

The Canelo Alvarez-Terence Crawford match is nearly unparalleled in its magnitude, with both boxers seeing it as one of the biggest fights of their already iconic careers.

Saul "Canelo" Alvarez (63-2-2, 39 KOs) is looking to solidify his legacy after representing Mexico in a stellar career for nearly two decades. He's the first boxer to ever unify all four major titles at super middleweight and is widely seen as the main draw of the event. 

Terence "Bud" Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) of Omaha, Nebraska, has already earned two unified division titles and is moving up two weight classes for this match. His undefeated record will be put to the test as he looks to become the first male three-division undisputed champion of the four-belt era.

A fight of this caliber would typically cost about $100 on pay-per-view, but instead, it is available to anyone with a Netflix subscription.

The fight in Las Vegas will be streamed live on Netflix with the preliminary card set for 5:30 p.m. CST and main card beginning at 8 p.m. CST.

Who is Slink Proper?

The backstory:

FOX 9 first introduced the St. Paul boxer last year, when he was about to have a rematch against Nico Ali Walsh, the grandson of legendary boxer Muhammad Ali, after beating him in their first bout.

READ MORE: St. Paul boxer Slink Proper set for rematch against Muhammad Ali's grandson

Proper lost the rematch, but was steadfast in his pursuit for bigger fights and more opportunities. 

"A lot of things that went on and transpired were unacceptable. And from that, people were like, 'Oh, he's done,'" Proper recalled after the loss. "It was time to elevate and that's what I needed, to basically branch off and do what I had to do in order to get to the position I'm at now."

On top of his work in the ring, Proper is also a well-versed rapper who launched his own promotion company, Proper Promotions, earlier this year.

READ MORE: St. Paul fighter aims to win outside the ring as much as inside

"I'm trying to show my ability, my skill and my determination and my perseverance," said Proper.

On weight and focused

Fight draws big names:

From comedian Kevin Hart to former wide receiver Chad Johnson, Proper says he's run into his fair share of familiar faces as he prepares for his bout.

But he is staying focused on what he hopes will be a knockout performance on the world stage.

"So, bring me all your energy. Let's get this win. Let's bring it back home, you guys. Let's shock the world again," said Proper.