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Do Canelo and Gervonta Davis need Turki Alalshikh?

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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.

Turki Alalshikh (Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing)

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.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JUNE 15: WBA lightweight champion Gervonta Davis poses with referee Harvey Dock after defeating Frank Martin in his title defense at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on June 15, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Davis defended his title via knockout in the eighth round. (Photo by Steve Marcus/Getty Images)

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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Andrew Moloney is confident that if given the chance, he would have beaten Phumelele Cafu and Kosei Tanaka

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Andrew Moloney (left) attacks Pedro Guevara – photo: Mikey Williams/Top Rank

Few people were more disappointed than Andrew Moloney when Kosei Tanaka lost his WBO super flyweight belt to Phumelele Cafu at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan on Monday night.

The 33-year-old Australian veteran was hoping to get a shot at beating Tanaka in the lucrative Japanese market.

Those dreams were dashed when South Africa’s Cafu delivered the performance of his life, knocking out Tanaka in the fifth round and finishing the fight strongly, beating the four-weight world champion by split decision.

“The plan was to target the WBO and really chase the Tanaka fight, but it all fell apart on Monday night,” Moloney (26-4-1NC, 16 KO) told The Ring. “I think the WBO is probably still the direction we go, but I’m not sure if they have a rematch clause or if Tanaka will take it. But after watching the fight yesterday, I would be really confident that I could fight one of these guys and win. We would like to follow this path.

“I would love to fight Tanaka in Japan as a four-division world champion. He’s definitely someone I’ve looked up to and wanted to fight for a long time.

“Last night was a little hard to watch. The way he performed, I’m more confident than ever that I have what it takes to beat Tanaka.

I assume there will be a rematch and I hope that Tanaka will regain the belt and I will be able to return to the ring and climb the rankings, and maybe this fight will still happen.

Tanaka entered Moloney’s orbit four years ago when he debuted at 115 pounds. Earlier this year, it looked like they were also on a collision course, with Moloney being number one in the WBO rankings. However, when an offer was made for the vacant IBF lightweight title fight between Vasily Lomachenko and George Kambosos Jr. in May in Perth, Western Australia, Moloney felt he couldn’t turn her down.

This decision ended in disaster. Moloney faced Carlos Cuadras, who withdrew from the fight with a ruptured Achilles tendon and was replaced by Pedro Guevara. Moloney entered the fight with a torn bicep and was largely reduced to boxing with one hand, which circumscribed his punching power.

Still, Moloney felt he did more than enough to win, and was shocked when Guevara was declared the winner by split decision. He was so disappointed that he announced immediately after the fight that he was leaving the ring, but a few days later he withdrew these comments.

It was a breakthrough moment in his career.

“Looking back, it’s a wonderful thing, but watching the Tanaka-Cafu fight made me think that maybe I would do a lot of things if I could turn back time a little bit,” Moloney explained.

“Before my last fight, I was number one in the WBO rankings and I rejected the option of waiting to fight Tanaka. But the opportunity arose to fight Guevara in Australia for the interim WBC title on a major card, and to be candid, I kind of regretted that the Tanaka fight was hanging in the balance, but ultimately we decided to stay busy and take the opportunity to fight in Australia.

“Also, the injury before the fight was another thing I thought about: will I undergo surgery, keep the top spot and wait for Tanaka, but I made the decision to go ahead with the fight with Guevara. Looking back now, maybe it wasn’t the smartest thing to do. And looking at the way Tanaka fought last night, I thought maybe I should have waited. I’m sure I could beat Tanaka and take the belt away from him.

“So I take some consolation, but unfortunately you can’t turn back time.”

It’s been a frustrating year for Moloney, but he’s still hitting the gym and his team is working to get him another fight. The window of opportunity to box again this year is closing quickly, but he still hopes to return to the ring in December, most likely in his native Australia.

“I really hope so,” he said. “That’s what I’ve been working on. I have been training strenuous at the gym for some time, quite a few months. I hope to return before the end of the year.

“At this stage it will probably be December. I’m trying to block something, but so far no luck. I’m still training away as if the fight was to take place in December, the team is currently working on it and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that we’ll be able to finish it.

“I just hope we can get out before the end of the year, get back into the winner’s circle and start climbing the rankings again.”

Moloney, who fought at bantamweight for the first three years of his professional career before dropping down to super flyweight, surprisingly, said he would even consider moving up to another weight class given the right opportunity.

“It’s a tough time in the super flyweight division,” said Moloney, the eighth challenger to The Ring’s 115-pound title. “There’s a lot going on and it’s always strenuous to plan which route to take because everything changes so quickly. I’d pick Bam Rodriguez to beat Guevara, then there’s talk of a rematch between Kazuto Ioka and Fernando Martinez on Up-to-date Year’s Eve. And then there’s talk of Bama, if they win, fighting the winner of that game in unification. The WBO seems to me the fastest way to win the title, so that’s the path we will follow.

“We have also rejected for some time the idea of ​​moving up to flyweight and getting crack there. There’s also some engaging scene going on there right now, but it’s still uncertain. I’d probably feel a little better at super flyweight, but we’ll have to wait and see what happens with Cafu and Tanaka, but like I said, I’d feel comfortable and confident against either of them, so hopefully he can make it it will happen sooner rather than later.”

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Doubts that fuel 19-year-old Benjamin Johnson

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Despite an impressive amateur resume, welterweight Benjamin Johnson of Springdale, Maryland, enters the professional ring with a shoulder injury.

Johnson will face Kevin Pantoja in a four-round fight at Rosecroft Raceway in Fort Washington, Maryland, promoted by his trainer Lamont Roach Snr’s NoXcuses Promotions. The fight will be broadcast on Saturday on ProBox TV.

Johnson, 1-0 (1 KO), spent just 2:23 in the ring in his professional debut, displaying the quick, aggressive hands that won him multiple national titles. However, 19-year-old Johnson feels an advantage, believing he is being overlooked by his NoXcuses Boxing Gym teammates.

Pantoja, 1-1, 27, has never stopped being a professional – Johnson aims to change that.

“People underestimate me,” Johnson said. “It’s been like that since I was an amateur.”

He added that this underestimation increases his motivation in the gym. Johnson is determined to prove his worth not only to himself, but also to those who doubt him or, worse, don’t recognize him. “I never felt like I was recognized as that guy, so I feel like I’m underappreciated,” Johnson said of his amateur and now professional career.

Johnson sees the fight as a key step in his career, compared to feared forward David Benavidez by some teammates and touted by others as one of the most ready-to-fight prospects in the country.

“I train as much as I can,” Johnson said. “It’s about making a statement. The way you win shows people what you’re capable of, and I’m ready to show my best.

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Benavidez Sr. wants Artur Beterbiev after David Morrell

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Image: Benavidez Sr. Wants Artur Beterbiev After David Morrell

David Benavidez’s father, Jose Benavidez Sr., says he wants undisputed lightweight heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev if he can defeat “regular” WBA champion David Morrell in a Jan. 25 fight.

Jose Senior believes Beterbiew would be a good fight for Benavidez (29-0, 24 KO). He would also like his son to have Dmitry Bivol because it would give him a chance to beat someone who beat Canelo Alvarez in 2022.

Jose Sr. is still bitter that Canelo chose not to fight Benavidez all these years, and recently mentioned a $200 million asking price to fight him. If Bivol loses the rematch with Beterbiev, it is not worth fighting him.

Artur Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KO) will be the guy Benavidez fights if he defeats Bivol in a rematch in 2025. The second fight is still not confirmed, but it is likely.

Benavidez’s worst nightmare would be if Beterbiev lost his rematch with Bivol and then the two fighters met in a trilogy fight. Benavidez will have to wait until the third fight between these fighters takes place before he can claim the belts.

“David’s next fight will be David Morrell. Everyone is very excited about it. We tried to make this fight for three years, but I think David Morrell needed a little more experience to show the world that he deserves this fight,” said Jose Benavidez Sr. Probox TV David Benavidez’s next fight with Cuban David Morrell will take place on January 25.

Of course, Team Benavidez hasn’t tried challenging to fight Morrell over the last three years because they’ve been the ones ignoring him. If they wanted a fight with Morrell, it would have happened a long time ago.

They waited until now, after Morrell’s unimpressive performance against Radivoje Kalajdzic on August 3 at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, before deciding they wanted to fight him.

“David called him and said, ‘Hey, I want to do this fight. Let’s make it happen. It was done right away. I’m very excited to fight a newborn talent, a sturdy fighter, and I think it’s going to be a tough fight,” said Jose Senior on how the fight with Morrell ultimately came about.

I hope we get a chance to fight Beterbiev. He won only on Saturday. Hopefully we can achieve that, but right now our focus is on David Morrell. We have to look impressive to get to the next level,” Benavidez Sr. said.

If Benavidez loses to Morrell, Jose Sr. will have to decide which direction to take his son. Will he move it back to 168 pounds or stay at 175, hoping to win one of the belts after Beterbiev’s vacation?

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