Turki Alalshikh has silenced the skeptics who have questioned the wisdom of holding Canelo Alvarez‘s comeback fight against WBC super middleweight champion Christian Mbilli amid rising hostilities in the region. In a defiant response to the growing concern, Alalshikh revealed that Canelo himself has given the go-ahead for the fight to proceed as scheduled on October 31, at Riyadh’s Kingdom Arena.
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“Canelo reached out and told me he’ll still fight in Riyadh this October, no matter what happens,” read Alalshikh’s tweet. “He fears nothing. My country is home to the two Holy Mosques, land of peace, safety, rich civilization, deep history, and kind-hearted people.
“Thank you to everyone who checked in and showed support. Hard times reveal true friends.🙏🏻❤️🥊.”
Alalshikh’s praise for Canelo comes amid the conflict that has emerged in the region. With reports claiming that regular bombing and attacks have extended deep into the country, the escalating tension shows no signs of easing any time soon. The latest development revealed an attack at Riyadh Airport, which reportedly resulted in some fatalities.
A few days ago, an update from the United States Embassy and Consulates in Saudi Arabia said, “Due to the ongoing security situation in Saudi Arabia and the potential for aerial drone or missile attacks on Saudi Arabia, the U.S. Mission strongly encourages all U.S. citizens to remain vigilant and follow the guidance of national alerts released by Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defense.”
The decision to stage a major boxing event amid rising hostilities, particularly one featuring one of the sport’s biggest draws, has puzzled many. Some speculated whether the Canelo-Mbilli fight would be moved to another venue, potentially pushing the event to late November.
“They’d be crazy to stage Canelo-Mbilli in Saudi,” Dan Canobbio wrote a week ago. More recently, offering a sharp critique, well-respected combat sports journalist Luke Thomas said, “They’re doing a Mexico vs. the World thing in Saudi Arabia, which makes no sense. They’re trying to force this fight to happen in a f***ing war zone.”
Canelo reached out and told me he’ll still fight in Riyadh this October, no matter what happens. He fears nothing. My country is home to the two Holy Mosques, land of peace, safety, rich civilization, deep history, and kind-hearted people. Thank you to everyone who checked in Show more
After the initial confusion, the full fight card has now been revealed. Besides Canelo-Mbilli, it features three additional title fights. A few recognizable names, including title challenger Alan David Picasso and Ring Magazine ambassador Reito Tsutsumi are also set to compete.
It’s been nearly eighteen months since Canelo last fought in Riyadh. On May 3, 2025, he faced William Scull, winning by unanimous decision and becoming an undisputed super middleweight champion for the second time.
So far, neither the former world champion nor his team has issued an official statement or posted on social media regarding the October 31 fight.
In his more than two-decade-long career, this is perhaps the first time Canelo has faced a situation in which staging a fight at the scheduled venue has raised such serious safety concerns.
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His fight with Terence Crawford also faced uncertainty over date and venue before the Allegiant Stadium was finalized for a showdown. However, those issues had more to do with business and venue availability than security concerns.
Boxing events have faced disruption because of venue-related problems before. However, situations in which political instability posed a considerable risk to an event have been rare.
In 1974, Muhammad Ali and George Foreman fought in Kinshasa, the capital of Zaire. The choice of venue drew intense scrutiny as the region faced considerable political turbulence.
Similarly, in 2021, Teofimo Lopez faced George Kambosos Jr. The fight for Lopez’s unified lightweight titles underwent date and venue changes because of the escalating COVID-19 situation before taking place at New York’s Hulu Theater on November 27, 2021.
In Canelo’s case, one possible reason for proceeding with the fight in Riyadh could be that he trained at Oleksandr Usyk’s facility in Gandia, Spain. With his long-time trainer Eddy Reynoso joining him, Canelo presumably chose the location to help him acclimatize to a time zone between those of the United States and Saudi Arabia.
Training at a location only a few hours away could help him adjust more easily than traveling to Riyadh after completing a full training camp in the U.S., when the resulting time-zone change and jet lag could affect his preparation. A similar situation may have arisen during the Scull fight, when Canelo seemingly struggled in his first fight and event in the Middle East.
Some fans may view Turki Alalshikh’s appreciation of Canelo with greater scrutiny, particularly given their history and business relationship.
Canelo entered into a four-fight deal with Riyadh Season in February last year. Beyond that business arrangement, the relationship between the Saudi power broker and the former world champion appears to have taken a different turn since Alalshik’ earlier remarks.
Amid the uncertainty surrounding the Crawford matchup, Alalshikh once stated, “I decided to disregard the Canelo fight, as I don’t want it anymore.”