When Harlem Eubank and Jack Catterall faced off in an all-English bout at Manchester Arena on July 5th, they never imagined they’d spark such widespread discussion for reasons beyond their boxing skills. Firstly, the fight ended prematurely after a horrific head clash, resulting in dangerous cuts to both.

Despite winning via decision, Catterall walked out with one of the worst cuts in recent times above his right eye. Thankfully, the referee and doctor intervened promptly to stop the fight at the beginning of the 7th round, preventing severe damage to the eye. Furthermore, if not being able to finish the encounter wasn’t disappointing enough, His Excellency Turki Alalshikh added to the frustration by publicly critiquing the fight.

Harlem Eubank faces the wrath of the Saudi Royal

Ever since the failed May Cinco de Mayo weekend for Riyadh Season, where their two blockbuster cards disappointed everyone, HE Alalshikh has been extremely strict with his verdict. The GEA chairman has already put the likes of Shakur Stevenson and Devin Haney on notice because of their passive style. On July 5th, he gave a similar verdict to Harlem Eubank and Jake Catterall. Taking to his ‘X,’ the Saudi royal wrote, “This is not Tom and Jerry, this is Jerry and Jerry. This isn’t boxing I’m watching. 🤷‍♂️.” According to Alalshikh’s verdict, both welterweights were having an extremely passive encounter, starving the fans of any kind of action. He believes that at least one could have been a tad bit aggressive, giving the fans what they wanted.

While His Excellency may have disliked the clash, the crowd at Manchester thought otherwise. They were extremely loud, except for the part when the referee waived off the fight. And more importantly, after the first two cautious rounds, the action had picked up. The CompuBox stats painted the Chorley native as an aggressor in this fight. Jack  Catterall threw 186 total punches, landing 51 before the fight came to a halt.

However, His Excellency’s argument could stand for Harlem Eubank, who had just found his rhythm before the unfortunate head butt. He threw only 85 punches, landing a meagre 17. However, in no way was it a passive fight, as the fans were never silent throughout. But it seems like that is not enough to impress HE Turki Alalshikh anymore, as the GEA Chairman even raised the stakes on Shakur Stevenson ahead of his title defense.

HE Turki Alalshikh is changing boxing rules

After the now-infamous tweet of not entertaining any kind of “Tom and Jerry” fights, Alalshikh dismissed any kind of friction between him and ‘Sugar’ by offering him the co-main spot against William Zepeda at Louis Armstrong Stadium, Queens, on July 12th. However, it seems like the WBC lightweight champion is still under a microscope.

On Sunday, after the Harlem Eubank-Jake Catterall fight, Alalshikh revealed a surprise for Shakur Stevenson. “We have a surprise for @ShakurStevenson on Saturday,” he wrote on his X. It seems like the Saudi Royal is planning to diminish the size of the ring to motivate boxers to throw more punches. “A ring that shrinks as the fight goes on,” he wrote, leaving everyone confused.

However, it is worth noting that both Stevenson and Zepeda have signed to fight in an 18X18 ring. So, the tweet should not be taken literally. “Shakur says he is ready to deliver a beatdown of William Zepeda, and I know the Mexican is prepared for the challenge of the biggest fight of his life,” he concluded, promising an exciting event.

Even His Excellency knows that shrinking the size of the ring is not an answer to this problem. Boxing is a sport of contrasting styles, and it will remain this way. While nudging the fighters to be more aggressive is not wrong, changing the ring is something that even he won’t try. Or will he? Well, we’ll have to wait for a few days to find out. What do you think?