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Dan Mullen Pushes His UNLV Debut Forward

Originally posted on Dice City Sports | By Robert LaMar | Last updated Jun 27, 2025 11:08 PM ET

UNLV head coach Dan Mullen is making a scheduling move before ever coaching a game in Las Vegas. Mullen quickly realized that he’s not in the SEC because football is not king in Las Vegas. Boxing is king and for that reason Mullen took a step back to delay his coaching debut at UNLV.

Mullen has officially pushed back his UNLV debut by one week, allowing the spotlight to shine fully on the massive Terence Crawford vs. Canelo Alvarez showdown, set for September 13th at Allegiant Stadium.

Sources close to the program say the decision was made out of respect for the magnitude of the fight and to avoid splitting the city’s attention between two high profile events. It’s a rare move that highlights just how much impact the Crawford vs Canelo bout is expected to have not just in boxing, but across the Vegas sports calendar.

UNLV moves Sept. 13 home game w/Idaho State to Aug. 23 to allow Allegiant Stadium to host the championship boxing match b/w Canelo Alvarez & Terence Crawford. This will be Coach Dan Mullen's debut w/Rebels

— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) June 27, 2025

“The World Championship Boxing Match is important to Las Vegas, and the impact it will have on tourism is unmatched,” Harper said. “Las Vegas is the Sports and Entertainment Capital, and we are a part of this amazing epicenter. As community members and an institution that works closely with many of the city’s great constituents. We felt it was important to request a waiver to show our commitment to the community.

New territory for Mullen

Dan Mullen is looking to capitalize and maintain the momentum that Barry Odom built at UNLV. Odom body of work at UNLV is amazing and will be hard to duplicate without a good plan in place. But Mullen is going to have to get familiar with recruiting in the Southwest if he wants to be successful.

This article first appeared on Dice City Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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