LeBron James produces docu-series on Canelo Alvarez’s fight preparation

Canelo Alvarez has joined forces with LeBron James to participate in a new boxing documentary series on DAZN titled, “40 Days,” a behind-the-scenes look at the rigors of training camp.

James’ athlete-empowerment brand, Uninterrupted, founded along with his longtime business partner, Maverick Carter, will produce the series that debuts Tuesday on DAZN and will later be shown on Univision, NBC Sports Network and a collection of regional sports networks.

The two-part series will document Alvarez’s time preparing in San Diego for his May 4 middleweight-title unification bout at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas against International Boxing Federation champion Daniel Jacobs of Brooklyn, N.Y.

“We’re partnering with DAZN to reach a whole new audience of global boxing fans that want to see another side to these athletes that has yet to be shown,” Uninterrupted CEO Maverick Carter said in a prepared statement.

“These documentaries will shine a light on the three-dimensional aspect of who these athletes are outside of the ring and empower them to tell their own stories as they prepare for some of the biggest moments in their boxing careers.”

DAZN officials have described the series, which will conclude April 30, as a hybrid of ESPN’s “30 for 30” and HBO’s former boxing reality series, “24/7.”

“We’re thrilled to work with LeBron and Maverick on this partnership,” DAZN Group Executive Chairman John Skipper said in his prepared statement.

“They have a unique vantage point that allows them to understand both Canelo’s pursuit to be one of the greatest of all time and Jacobs’ dogged determination to reach the pinnacle of his sport.”

Jacobs, training in New York, is seeking to take the World Boxing Assn. and World Boxing Council belts from Mexico’s Alvarez, who has only lost to Floyd Mayweather Jr. six years ago at age 23.

Last year, Alvarez signed a 10-fight, $365-million deal with DAZN that stood as the richest active deal in North American sports, and he’s expressed interest in meeting former long-reigning middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin in a trilogy bout in September should both win their upcoming bouts.

“These are exciting times for the sport of boxing, and this partnership between Uninterrupted and DAZN is yet another example of that,” said Alvarez’s promoter, Oscar De La Hoya, chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions.

“This is excellent for the sport, as it will provide the kind of unique lens that only LeBron James and Maverick Carter can bring. At the same time, there’s no better way for them to start this partnership than by featuring the most important boxing event of the year, so Golden Boy is proud to be a part of it.”

The series may next turn to the June 1 U.S. debut of three-belt heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua at Madison Square Garden.