Saul “Canelo” Alvarez might not be sweating his fight in Saudi Arabia later this month, but one top boxing trainer is absolutely terrified. Safety concerns in the Kingdom are piling up after a slew of attacks by the militant organization Ansar Allah, known as the Houthis. They’ve been bombing airports, oil fields, and even the East-West pipeline in Riyadh, throwing the entire country into chaos.
This Is a Disaster Waiting to Happen, But Money Talks
Look, this isn’t some minor dust-up. We’re talking about serious, significant disruptions. Multiple events, like the annual “Six Kings Slam” tennis tournament, already got canceled or postponed. Countries, including the U.S., are telling people NOT to travel there. Despite all this madness, Canelo’s October 31 date in Riyadh against Christian Mbilli for the WBC super middleweight title is still on. Fight financier Turki Alalshikh is out there saying Canelo fears nothing and is totally willing to go ahead. You gotta wonder why, right? Industry insiders are calling it a massive standoff. If the Saudis pull the plug, they’re still on the hook for Canelo’s massive purse. But if Canelo bails, he doesn’t get paid, and that could mess with his lucrative four-fight deal with Alalshikh, which still has two bouts left. Oscar De La Hoya, Canelo’s former promoter and Golden Boy Promotions CEO, even dropped a social media video Thursday, ripping into Alalshikh for pushing through with what he called an “enormous safety concern.”
Canelo Gets the VIP Treatment, Everyone Else Gets the Bomb Zone
Here’s where it gets truly wild. Robert Garcia, who trains Lindolfo Delgado (Delgado is challenging Artur Biyarslanov on the undercard for the vacant IBF super lightweight title), is the first person actually involved with this show to publicly freak out about his safety. Garcia saw De La Hoya’s video and totally agreed with him. He told reporter Elie Seckbach, “Didn’t they already cancel a tennis [tournament]? There’s no flights going over there. The airport is being bombed. How the f***? Do they expect us to f***ing go comfortable like nothing?” He’s not wrong to be asking these questions. Garcia pointed out that Canelo, his team, and other undercard fighters like Jaime Munguia and ‘Divino’ Rafael Espinoza are supposedly fine because they’ll fly private, hit a private airport, and have around-the-clock security. But that’s not the deal for everyone. Garcia was crystal clear about his own situation: “No, we’re not [flying to a private airport]. We’re going to the f***ing airport that’s being bombed. F*** that. … It’s closed? Even worse. We can’t even get there.” He summed it up perfectly: “Canelo’s fight might happen because, like I told you, he’s secured. Not us. We’re not secured. … If they tell us, ‘You guys are all traveling together,’ then we’re fine, but I don’t think that’s the case.”
So, on October 31, Canelo Alvarez is set to fight Christian Mbilli in a place where people are genuinely scared for their lives. The stakes here aren’t just about a title belt; they’re about the actual physical safety of everyone who isn’t flying on a private jet and getting a full security detail. Talk about a messed-up situation, right?
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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