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Canelo Alvarez's latest fight announcement has sparked controversy among combat sports' most influential figures. The boxing superstar's decision to fight Edgar Berlanga on September 14 has drawn criticism from UFC CEO Dana White, MMA icon Conor McGregor, and now Saudi Arabian fight promoter Turki Alalshikh.
Dana White recently voiced his displeasure over the scheduling conflict with UFC 306, taking place the same night in Las Vegas. Meanwhile, McGregor didn't hold back, dismissing Alvarez as "a cornflake." However, it's Alalshikh's pointed critique that has set the boxing world abuzz.
Turki Alalshikh, known for promoting high-profile boxing matches, took to social media on Wednesday to explain why he is not pursuing a dream fight between Alvarez and Terence Crawford. In his post, Alalshikh accused Alvarez of ducking challenging opponents and criticized his business practices.
“I heard what Canelo said that he respects me but doesn’t like the way we do business. As for him respecting me, it doesn’t matter to me if he does or not," Alalshikh stated. "As for the way I do business, I know why he doesn’t like it, because I only target big fights at fair prices, so of course anyone who likes easy fights won’t like that. And I know how he feels after losing to Bivol, so he’s been looking for easier fights ever since. Also, I’m not the one who’s afraid of fighting [David] Benavidez or Crawford."
Alalshikh went on to accuse Alvarez of avoiding marquee matchups by demanding exorbitant sums, making it difficult to secure meaningful fights. He referenced Alvarez’s loss to WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol in May 2022 as a turning point, suggesting that since then, Alvarez has sought less challenging opponents. Despite this, Alvarez has maintained his winning streak, securing victories against top names like Gennady Golovkin, Jermell Charlo, and Jaime Munguia.
Next on Alvarez’s agenda is a defense of his super middleweight titles against Berlanga. With an impressive record of 63 wins, 2 losses, and 2 draws, Alvarez remains one of boxing’s biggest draws.
Alalshikh, however, is undeterred by Alvarez’s popularity. He emphasized his commitment to arranging significant fights that benefit the sport.
“I knew he was wasting our time and making excuses with big amounts of money that can’t be paid. So I’m continuing my way to make big fights that serve the boxing world, and he’s on his way to making easy show-only fights,” Alalshikh concluded.
Alalshikh's aggressive promotion of high-profile bouts has included recent events like Crawford vs. Israil Madrimov at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles. He has also played a key role in orchestrating major matchups such as Francis Ngannou’s fights with Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, and Fury’s championship bout with Oleksandr Usyk.
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