Turki Alalshikh Struggles to Make Fights for Bud, Canelo & Tank
The state of boxing is in a sad condition, and one of the reasons for that is the lack of fights that fans want to see. With the influence of Turki Alalshikh, things were supposed to be changing. However, champions Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, Gervonta “Tank” Davis, and Terence “Bud” Crawford are making it difficult for him to deliver the fights for the fans.
THE ARRIVAL OF A NEW PLAYER
When Alalshikh hit the scene, there was hope that boxing would get the shot in the arm it desperately needed. The Saudi Arabian power player had fresh ideas and stacked undercard fights worth discussing. There is no denying fans saw fighters take fights that promoters would have blocked in the past. One such fight is the recent match-up Martin Bakole’s destruction of Jared Anderson on August 3.
Yet, he hasn’t been able to deliver on the bigger names of the sport. The boxing public has stopped asking to see Canelo (61-2-2, 39KO) fight David Benavidez. In addition, Alalshikh has even given up on trying to get the Mexican super middleweight champion to face Terence Crawford. He recently took to social media out of frustration to attack Canelo for taking easy fights.
FIGHTS THAT FANS ARE STILL WAITING TO SEE
WBA lightweight champion Tank (30-0, 28KO) made his feelings known about fighting in Saudi Arabia. When there was interest in making a Devin Haney fight, the Baltimore power puncher claimed Alalshikh would have to send over two Ferraris for him to think about it.
Shakur Stevenson signed with Matchroom Boxing, hoping that Alalshikh could land a unification with the WBA lightweight champion. There were reports of the two camps in talks for a possible showdown this year, but Stevenson facing Joe Cordina in October killed that rumor.
Then there is WBA junior middleweight champion Bud (41-0, 31 KO), who fans want to see face IBF welterweight champion Jaron “Boots” Ennis. Once again it’s a fight that Alalshikh showed interest in wanting to make. Yet, Crawford is adamant that a fight with Ennis does nothing for him from a financial standpoint.
Going into 2025, Alalshikh must secure at least one of the fights mentioned in this article. As things stand right now, he has come up short.
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