By: Sean Crose
“Just finished an important meeting with my team,” Saudi boxer Turki Alalshikh posted on social media on Tuesday, “planning the upcoming fights we will have in 2024-2025.” Alalshikh then went on to discuss the (somewhat) anticipated potential fight between Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford. “I decided to skip the Canelo fight,” Alalshikh said, “because I don’t want it anymore.” While he didn’t say why, Canelo reportedly asked for a hefty paycheck. Additionally, Crawford is significantly smaller than super middleweight Canelo — which could make the fight a one-sided affair.
However, Alalshikh still has his eyes on the big events. “I will focus on the US market with bigger fights,” he declared, “especially for the legendary Crawford. Also, I will support the organization of fights for Boots, Haney, Shakur, Ortiz, Anderson, Benavidez, Zepeda and many others, regarding Tim Tszyu, there is something unclear in the communication from his team to our team, so I believe I will review his situation.”
And that’s not all. “I’m focused on the Riyadh Season card,” Alalshikh added, “Wembley [sic] September 21st (AJ vs. Dubois) and depending on the outcome and result of the Riyadh Season opener (Bivol vs. Beterbiev) on October 12th, I will build the fight for the Fury vs. Usyk rematch on December 21st and another big fight in the first quarter of 2025. Stay tuned.”
As for Canelo, he has a fight coming up on September 14 against Edgar Berlanga. While Berlanga isn’t considered a top contender for Canelo, there’s no denying that the red-haired star is at a point in his career where he can take on anyone he wants. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for Crawford, who only has one blockbuster fight to his name (his complete destruction of Spence at the end of the summer).
Now, however, backed by none other than Alalshikh, Crawford could find himself in more lucrative and even more high-profile fights. Because if there’s anything to be said about Alalshikh, it’s that he can make big fights. In short, he’s a good friend in the modern boxing scene. Canelo might disagree, but Alakshikh has booked a fair number of big fights and will no doubt book more in the near future.
However, at least for now, Canelo-Crawford will not be on his agenda.
