Lindolfo Delgado is chasing a world championship, but a lack of support from the organizers of the Canelo Alvarez vs. Christian Mbilli card is proving to be a major obstacle to that ambition. With the situation in Saudi Arabia growing increasingly uncertain amid rising regional tension, his trainer Robert Garcia believes clear and timely information from the organizers would be a welcome change ahead of the October 31 event at Riyadh’s Kingdom Arena.

“Man, I don’t want to be in the documentary 25 years from now,” Garcia reportedly told BoxingScene. “You know, talking about all these brave fighters that went out there and coaches and managers and trainers that went out there and never came back. Hell no! I don’t want to. I don’t.”

Although Garcia delivered the remark with humor, his underlying concern was visible. They stem from a conflict that has been escalating in the region over the past few weeks. An attack on the Riyadh airport reportedly caused several fatalities.

Early this month, amid rising tensions, the United States Embassy and Consulates in Saudi Arabia cautioned all American citizens to remain vigilant. Speculations that Canelo-Mbilli could be moved to a safer venue or postponed to late November soon followed.

Meanwhile, Saudi power broker Turki Alalshikh, who has a stake in Canelo’s event through the Riyadh Season, said that he had received assurance from the former super middleweight champion that he wanted to proceed with the fight as planned.

The announcement attracted widespread scrutiny. In a scathing critique, Oscar De La Hoya slammed both Canelo and Alalshikh for putting the event ahead of human life.

The U.S. Department of State has reportedly “ordered departure for non-emergency U.S. government employees and their family members in Saudi Arabia,” given the increasing attacks on “civilian airports” and “critical infrastructure.”

In his latest post, Dan Rafael added, “Per sources, if #CaneloMbilli goes forward Oct. 31 in Riyadh, the likelihood is that the DAZN broadcast team will not be ringside and will call the card remotely from a studio in London.”

Despite all these concerns, there’s no sign that Canelo-Mbilli will be moved to a new location or date.

Garcia described the uncertainty surrounding his team’s travel arrangement. “As of now, my team, at least my team with Lindolfo Delgado, we’ve been waiting all weekend,” he said. “We don’t have no flights. We don’t have no information. So honestly, I really don’t know what’s going to happen. That’s all they need. That’s probably why they haven’t even told us about any flights or anything. We haven’t had no information.

“I’m going to San Antonio, but at least Lindolfo and the rest of my team should have already known they’re flying out the next couple days to be there, at least one week before. We can’t be sitting waiting and thinking, ‘Oh yeah, we’re just waiting for that flight. They’ll send it to us.’ They would have already. They should have already. Honestly, I don’t know. We don’t have flights yet.”

An unbeaten fighter, Delgado is scheduled for a fight against Arthur Biyarslanov for the IBF’s vacant light welterweight title. Since Richardson Hitchins vacated the title on April 21, 2026, it has remained vacant.

If Delgado and Garcia turn down the fight over safety concerns, it remains unclear when or where they might get another shot at the championship.

Canelo Alvarez’s title hopes caught in the crossfire

Aside from Delgado, most of the fighters featured on the card, including Canelo, Jaime Munguia, Rafael Espinoza, and David Picasso, are trained by Eddy Reynoso. By getting his fighters trained at Oleksandr Usyk’s facility in Spain, Reynoso has addressed concerns about travel distance and adjusting to the local time zone.

Delgado and Garcia’s situation is different. They need to arrive in Riyadh at least a week in advance to adjust to the climate and time zone.

This could be the first time Garcia publicly questioned an event’s organization. Although he has long been outspoken, his criticism has generally focused on fighters rather than events or organizers.

Following Anthony Joshua’s 2022 rematch with Oleksandr Usyk, Garcia questioned the Briton’s mental resilience. However, he later argued that his comments were misinterpreted. He also criticized the stalled negotiations for a potential Vergil Ortiz Jr. vs. Jaron “Boots” Ennis showdown.

Those controversies, however, involved fighters, promotional hurdles, and behind-the-scenes complications rather than the organization or the event itself.

This could be the first time that an event featuring Canelo has faced the level of uncertainty because of political turmoil. Last year’s Terence Crawford also underwent date and venue changes, although those were more closely related to scheduling and availability issues.

One historical example is the 1974 Rumble in the Jungle between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman. The fight took place in Kinshasa, Zaire’s capital, against the backdrop of Cold War geopolitics, on October 30.

Canelo’s reluctance to move the Mbilli fight may also reflect his desire to return to the ring and reclaim a world title.

It’s been over a year since the Mexican star last fought, when he lost his undisputed title to Terence Crawford on September 13, 2025. Elbow surgery further delayed his return to training. At 36, he envisions having four to five fights before calling it a career.

He may therefore be eager to become a champion again in a division that appears to offer him a path to a world title. The October 31 fight would also leave him with one more bout to complete his contract with Riyadh Season. Speaking with Mike Coppinger, Canelo revealed that he wants to fight again as soon as possible, probably by February next year after facing Mbilli.

Despite the risks posed by escalating hostilities, Canelo may want to fulfill his promotional commitments and pursue his championship ambitions as soon as possible. Still, that plan raises a question, with skeptics asking, “At what cost?”