Boxing
Do Canelo and Gervonta Davis need Turki Alalshikh?
Published
5 months agoon
CANELO Alvarez and Gervonta Davis are the two biggest fighters regardless of weight class, but neither of them have worked with Turki Alalshikh.
There are just over two months left until the first anniversary of the Riyadh boxing season. Since Tyson Fury fought Francis Ngannou in the “Battle of the Worst” on October 28, 2023, Saudi control of the sport has tightened like an Olympian clinging to a gold medal. For many, his Excellency’s involvement has revolutionized professional boxing.
The best fought the best, the side-fights were full of 50-50 fights, and some of the most popular boxers competed regularly – life entered the fighting niche.
Where die-hard fans got the occasional “substantial fight” but were often frustrated by the boxing business that prevented or delayed numerous super fights. Meanwhile, casual fans sometimes had trouble fully engaging with shows featuring boxers they were unfamiliar with, beyond the lack of compelling narratives or rivalries.
What’s more, despite the majority of Riyadh’s season taking place in the Middle East, Turki has a sturdy card lined up on American soil, with Terence Crawford, Andy Ruiz and Jarrell Miller set for August 3. Then, on September 21, Anthony Joshua will face Daniel Dubois for the IBF Heavyworld title at Wembley. Stadium as part of the Riyadh season.
Indeed, some argue that Saudi involvement is slowly changing boxing in the UFC. Although instead of Dana White as the sole leading figure, you have Turki along with leading promoters like Eddie Hearn, Frank Warren, Oscar De La Hoya and Bob Arum. And instead of all the fights being shown on ESPN in the US and TNT Sports in the UK, everything is broadcast on DAZN worldwide.
But unlike the UFC, being a cash cow gives you the freedom to do whatever you want. Anthony Joshua is a bit of an anomaly in that he has a career-long contract with Matchroom. But his status allows him to work with any promoter or broadcaster, while negotiating a specific purse for a given fight.
In fact, there is only one person who makes more than Joshua in the boxing ring and that is Canelo. After leaving Golden Boy and De La Hoya in 2020 to become a free agent, Canelo is like a monkey swinging from tree to tree, always looking for the best fruit. It doesn’t matter what branches he breaks, there is always another path for him because of the commercial value he provides.
However, last week we witnessed a power struggle in the realm of boxing. Turki was open to a potential Canelo-Terence Crawford matchup until the American moved up to 154 pounds and did just enough to defeat Israil Madrimov to become a four-division world champion. After announcing his newfound disinterest in a Canelo-Crawford fight, the Mexican superstar essentially told Turki that he was the boss and the negotiations would be conducted on his terms.
Suddenly, the boxing world saw the first signs of hostility from His Excellency, who responded by claiming that Canelo had no interest in tough fights since suffering a convincing defeat to Dmitry Bivol in 2022. And he claimed that the former non-weight king was afraid to face Crawford and David Benavidez.
After a string of successful fights involving elite fighters, Turki has made a habit of scheduling fights that he and most fans want to see, including Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk, which would establish the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis in 1999. In addition, one of the most anticipated fights of the year between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol for all the belts at 175 pounds on October 12.
Turki entered the boxing world to put an end to politics, effectively uniting former arch-enemies Hearn and Warren. However, his recent online spat with Canelo may show that he doesn’t have all the power and may have to play second fiddle to a few boxers at the top.
From the outside, Canelo only needs the Turk for one fight – Benavidez. The Guadalajara native has openly demanded $200 million to share the ring, a sum no other promoter can match. Still, if Canelo decides to try to win a world title in a fifth weight division, such as cruiserweight, he could seek additional compensation from the Saudis.
As for Davis, he once said that Turki had to send him two Ferraris so he could compete in the Middle East. His Excellency responded by offering two gloves instead. Tank is not at the same commercial level as Canelo, but this was another example of a cash cow refusing to comply with Turki’s suggestions.
Davis doesn’t swing from branch to branch like Canelo, but he’s a bee with access to a lot of honey in the form of PBC. The Baltimore boxer is one of the biggest stars in America, and after headlining his last ten fights, Davis is raking in millions of dollars. The Davis-Garcia fight broke PPV records, raking in more than $100 million.
Like Canelo, Davis may only need to work with his excellency if he wants the extra pay for a particularly risky fight. Shakur Stevenson is considered the toughest opponent for Tank. Time will tell if Davis can bring in the Saudis to make it happen.
In conclusion, Turki Alalshikh has undoubtedly had a positive impact on boxing. However, those who have benefited the most from his Excellency’s involvement are probably the boxers who have not previously been given life-changing rewards and career-defining opportunities. One example is Martin Bakole, who scored his biggest win over Jared Anderson and will likely appear on more Riyadh Season cards.
However, for Canelo and Davis, who have the luxury of picking any opponent they want while also earning a ton of money, the Riyadh season may remain separate from them. However, the more everyone cooperates in boxing, the more memorable the nights will be for the fans.
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Boxing
Ryan Rozicki is waiting for Badou Jack’s consent to mandatory cooperation with the WBC
Published
2 days agoon
January 13, 2025The World Boxing Council (WBC) ordered world cruiserweight champion Badou “The Ripper” Jack (20-1-1, 19 KO) to make a mandatory title defense against Ryan “The Bruiser” Rozicki (20-1), number 1 in the WBC ranking – 1, 19 KOs).
If both camps fail to successfully negotiate an agreement, the WBC will organize a tender on February 4, followed by the Jack vs. Rozicki. Rozicki’s promoter, Three Lions Promotions, immediately sent Team Jacek an offer to promote the fight in Canada last week.
“We are waiting for their counteroffer,” explained promoter Dan Otter of Three Lions Promotions. “Boxing has had a huge resurgence in Canada and Ryan is leading the way. He is one of the most electrifying and hardest-hitting fighters in boxing, definitely in the cruiserweight division. He wants the WBC green belt and ultimately the unification of the division. Ryan will fight Jack anywhere for the belt.”
29-year-old Rozicki, born in Sydney (Nova Scotia) and living in Hamilton (Ontario), fought 22 professional fights against 21 different opponents (twice against Yamil Alberto Peralta), stopping 19 of the 20 opponents he defeated. an eye-opening 95-KO percentage.
Jack, 41, was a 2008 Olympian representing his native Sweden. He is a three-division world champion, as well as the WBC super middleweight and World Boxing Association (WBA) lightweight heavyweight title holder. Jack has a record of 5-0-2 (2 KO) in world championship fights.
“We respect Jack and I don’t want to sound disrespectful,” Otter added, “but he’s over 40 years vintage and has been relatively inactive for two years (only one fight). He brings a lot of experience and respect to the ring, but he will fight a newborn defender with a lot of power. Jack is going to struggle and honestly, I don’t think he’ll make it past the first few rounds.”
Ryan Rozicki is on a mission to become the first Canadian cruiserweight world champion.
The next move is Badou Jack’s.
Boxing
Floyd Mayweather’s record is not normal, it can’t happen in 70 years
Published
3 days agoon
January 12, 2025Floyd Mayweather’s incredible 50-0 record is not normal and cannot be repeated in sports for another seventy years.
This is the view of Saudi Arabian president Turki Alalshikh, who wants to adopt the UFC model in which fighters lose many fights during their career.
In a speech as he hosted the Ring Magazine Awards after acquiring the long-running boxing publication from Oscar De La Hoya, Alalshikh was unequivocal in his opinion.
“Now losing some fights in boxing must be normal,” he explained. “All fighters want a career similar to Floyd Mayweather – no losses. This may happen once every 50, 60 or 70 years.
“We need it [to be] like currently in the UFC model, where champions lose and win,” added the matchmaker during the Riyad season.
Mayweather rose through the sport in the tardy 1990s to become one of its youngest superstars. Mayweather’s professional success came after winning a bronze medal at the Olympics after losing to Serafim Todorov.
Winning world titles in five weight classes, Mayweather was untouchable. The Grand Rapids native only came close to defeat a few times. He dominated Manny Pacquiao and overtook Canelo Alvarez and Oscar De La Hoya after heated debates, with decisions that should have been made unanimously.
Towards the end of his career, Mayweather chose to face Andre Berto and Conor McGregor, easily winning and ending his boxing career at the age of 50 without ever going out. Calling himself “the greatest of all time,” Mayweather earned first-ballot Hall of Fame honors and is widely considered one of, if not the greatest defensive fighter of all time.
However, Alalshikh says this type of career needs to end so that fans can get the most out of boxing, as is the case with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Boxing needs to become more attractive, and Alalshikh sees the failures of top stars as a way to keep interest at an all-time high.
In this sport, many boxers enjoy undefeated streaks, the most notable of which is Oleksandr Usyk. The Ukrainian Pound for Pound King is 23-0 and has beaten the best he has to offer in his division and cruiserweight classification.
It remains a mystery how Alalshikh plans to make Usyk suffer while he dominates everyone else. By the time his grand plan goes into action, Usyk will be long gone, and Gervonta Davis, Shakur Stevenson and Devin Haney may be more realistic targets.
Boxing
Manny Pacquiao remains the favorite to win the title against Mario Barrios
Published
1 week agoon
January 6, 2025WBN understands that despite alternative options emerging, it is more likely that Manny Pacquiao will face Mario Barrios next.
Bob Santos, coach of WBC welterweight champion Barrios, told World Boxing News that he is currently in contact with Pacquiao’s team. Asked by WBN if he had spoken to Pacquiao or representatives of any other challenger, Santos replied: “Yes, Pacquiao’s promoter, Sean Gibbons.” Pressed on whether Barrios vs Pacquiao might happen next, he added: “It’s challenging to say. We’ll have to see how this plays out.”
WBN contacted Santos after Conor Benn emerged as a potential alternative to Barrios. The British fighter, who recently returned from a suspension following two positive drug tests, is keen to return to competition.
Benn showed favor with the World Boxing Council at the recent WBC Convention, the WBC Evaluation Committee and during an interview with the sanctioning body over the weekend. “The Destroyer” is ranked second in the rankings at 147 pounds, despite less than solid opponents during his time in exile, during which Benn competed twice in the United States while his career in the United Kingdom was in doubt.
As he battled to clear his name and with the British Anti-Doping Authority finding no evidence that Benn had intentionally taken ostarine, the 28-year-old’s career took a pointed nosedive. Despite this, he remains highly rated and at least one step away from fighting for an eliminator or one of the remaining championship titles.
However, Pacquiao remains Barrios’ favorite. Now it’s up to the boxing legend and Hall of Famer who got the first votes to secure his shot. WBN believes a July date – most likely at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas – is the most realistic date for a Nevada swan song.
Pacquiao could extend his record as the oldest welterweight champion by six years if he can secure a huge victory over the 29-year-old world champion. At 46 years antique, such a scenario remains unlikely, but he can never be compared to one of the greatest players of this generation.
Unlike heavier boxers and his training regiment, Pacquiao looks in great shape despite his advanced age. Everything is set for a massive return to the boxing capital of the world, provided Pacquiao and his team can manage his political ambitions, which are expected to run from this month until May. After that time, Pacquiao could find himself in the summer finals and become the all-time champion, regardless of the result.
Barrios is based in the city, where he trained with Santos, and would be the perfect opponent to see out the career of one of the greatest fighters in history.
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