It is no exaggeration to say that Turki Alalshikh is single-handedly saving boxing. You know the “I used to dream of times like these” meme of Michael Jordan sobbing while hugging the NBA championship trophy? Yeah, that is how boxing fans feel right now. In the last two years alone, the Saudis have organized an undisputed heavyweight title clash in twenty years, as well as some of the most-awaited clashes in the boxing world.

And now, the Saudis have signed the current face of boxing, Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, to a reported five-fight deal worth $400 million. The Mexican superstar is set to face IBF middleweight champ William Scull this weekend at the ANB Arena in the Saudi sports capital of Riyadh. But that fight is just the appetizer for the real fight fans want to see!

If the WBO, WBA, and WBC super-middleweight champ beats Scull, he will face former pound-for-pound king and reigning WBA super-welterweight champion, Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford, who will be moving up to face him. But the question most people have is: If ‘Canelo’ is just too big for ‘Bud’? Well, Mike Tyson doesn’t think so.

“There’ve been men that beat people like [Henry] Armstrong… these guys, they’re beating people bigger than them, two divisions bigger than him. It’s not impossible, you know. Henry Armstrong is a featherweight, and he beat the middleweight champ. At 130 pounds, he beat the welterweight champ, then he fought a draw with the middleweight champ.”

The former heavyweight kingpin added, “So I think size means nothing, determination means everything,” Tyson told ‘IFLTV’ in an interview.

Indeed, many fighters, including Henry Armstrong (who held the featherweight, lightweight, and welterweight titles), Roy Jones Jr. (who was a four-division champ), and most notably Manny Pacquiao (who won titles in eight divisions!), have successfully won titles against heavier opponents. And Crawford certainly has the skills and the intangibles to beat Canelo, even if it would be an uphill task.

Saudis are throwing mountains of money at Canelo Alvarez

Do you know how much Canelo Alvarez is getting for his clash against William Scull, which is expected to be a walk in the park for the Mexican champ? Reportedly, and you should sit down for this, $80 million minimum! And if you think that is a big amount, let us tell you how much Alvarez is set to make for the Crawford fight targeted for this September.

If Alvarez does what he is expected to do against the massive underdog Scull this weekend, he will be set for perhaps the biggest paycheck in boxing history, which is reported to be around $150 million. And with the aforementioned size disperency, the Mexican superstar is more than likely to rake in this massive amount. No wonder every second MMA fighter and their grandma want to cross over and box.

And while boxing has always been a top-heavy sport, things have escalated even further with the entry of the Saudis in the sport. The Kingdom, of course, is looking to promote itself as a sports tourism hub, and has literally been throwing endless pits of money to make that happen.

While there are accusations that the absolute monarchy is trying to ‘sports-wash’ its erstwhile controversial reputation through sports, you won’t find many boxing fans complaining about it. What do you think about Mike Tyson’s thoughts on a Canelo Alvarez-Terence Crawford matchup?