From Canelo to Anthony Joshua and even Terence Crawford, Saudi Arabia has plans for boxing in and outside of it’s region.
We’re beginning to learn more about boxing super promoter Turki Alalshikh’s grand plans for the sport, as the Saudi Arabia advisor spoke freely about numerous fighters, and fights, during an ongoing Reddit AMA. Alalshikh has been behind a number of boxing’s grandest events of the last couple years, including Francis Ngannou’s decision loss to Tyson Fury, and his recent knockout defeat to resurgent heavyweight Anthony Joshua.
Speaking on the social media site, Alalshikh continued to support the heavyweight division but spoke fondly of other weight classes, and also women’s boxing.
3 Things we Learned From the AMA
Alalshikh likes big fights for Crawford
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – NOVEMBER 20: WBO champion Terence Crawford poses with referee Celestino Ruiz after defeating Shawn Porter in a welterweight title fight at Michelob ULTRA Arena on November 20, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Crawford retained his title with a 10th-round TKO. (Photo by Steve Marcus/Getty Images)
Terence Crawford takes part in a press conference Wednesday in Los Angeles to announce an upcoming super welterweight match against Israil Madrimov, ESPN’s Mike Coppinger reported last week. Crawford is arguably the hottest commodity in boxing after his all-time great welterweight win over Errol Spence Jr., after which he became the undisputed champion in that weight class. But in his next bout he leaves the 147-pound division behind him and moves
Elsewhere on the bill could see big bouts between Tim Tszyu and Vergil Ortiz, Isaac Cruz vs Jose Valenzuela, Andy Ruiz vs Jarrell Miller, and a trillogy bout between Leo Santa Cruz and Abner Mares III.
Should Crawford emerge from his Madrimov fight unscathed then it appears Alalshikh may well be envisioning more big fights for one of boxing’s top operators, including a slugathon against Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis and a big-money bout against Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez.
Here’s what Alalshikh had to say about Crawford-Ennis on the AMA:
“I want to watch this fight!”
Here’s what Alalshikh said about whether he can deliver Crawford-Canelo on the AMA:
“I hope so.”
There Could be a Women’s Boxing Bout in Riyadh, Coming Soon
Alalshikh also said one of his favorite women’s fighters is Amanda Serrano
To date, the bulk of the combat action in Saudi Arabia has been the realm of male boxers, with various female fighters clamoring to get involved. In another bombshell development, Alalshikh implied that October in Riyadh could feature women’s boxing, and went as far as to name Amanda Serrano — a four-weight boxing champion — as one of his favorite female fighnters.
On his favorite female fighters, and whether women’s boxing could land in Saudi, Alalshikh said:
“Several ones including Amanda Serrano and expect to watch something in October in Riyadh.”
There Are 3 Big Fights Alalshikh Wants to Make
They involve big-name boxers like Joshua, Crawford, and Canelo
Considering Alalshikh has organized the undisputed heavyweight championship bout between Oleksandr Usyk and Fury, and has managed to make rival promoters Frank Warren and Eddie Hearn work together for a unique 5 vs 5 format, there is perhaps no fight that’s off limits for the Saudi advisor.
And so when one boxing fan asked for his No.1 fight to make, the fact that Alalshikh instead listed three is no surprise. And all of them would be bangers.
“Fury vs. AJ, Crawford Vs. Canelo, Benavidez vs. Beterbiev.”
In separate questions, he said “we will try to make [the Fury-Usyk winner fight Joshua]” and would like to see the Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitriy Bivol winner fight David Benavidez.