Turki Al Sheikh Retorts Back At Canelo Alvarez

Saudi powerbroker names himself "Face of Boxing" amid Canelo conflict

Turki Al Sheikh responds to remarks made by Canelo Alvarez regarding upcoming boxing schedules /

By Mohamed Bahaa

Turki Al Sheikh, chairman of the General Entertainment Authority (GEA), called himself "The face of boxing" in a heated debate in response to Saul "Canelo" Alvarez's allegations on who was in charge of stopping development toward a match with Terence Crawford. Among the most well-known personalities in the sport, Alvarez had already said that he was the one who chose to postpone any talk about a possible match with Crawford.

Al Sheikh had before said he decided to follow other paths. Alvarez explained his position on Tuesday: “They wanted to meet with me and see about the fight with Crawford in February. I answered, Look, I have no desire in discussing another conflict. We can chat once September 14 - when I fight Edgar Berlanga - comes. Not right now, though, right now”.

Al Sheikh responded on social media saying: "I heard what Canelo said that he respects me but doesn't like the way we do business. Regarding his respecting me, it makes no difference to me whether he does or not. Regarding my commercial practices, I see why he finds them objectionable: I only aim for major conflicts at reasonable rates, hence naturally anyone who prefers quick battles would not enjoy it."

Al Sheikh continued, "And he's been looking for simpler battles ever then since he knows how he feels after losing to [in 2022, Dmitrii]. Furthermore, I am not the one terrified of engaging David Benavidez or Crawford in combat. I realized, then, he was squandering our time and using large sums of money that cannot be paid for reasons. He is on his route to create simple show-only contests; I am still following my path to create major fights that benefit the boxing scene.

Recently, the GEA set up the fight between Israil Madrimov and Crawford in Los Angeles; Crawford came out on August 3 triumphant by unanimous decision. Al Sheikh uploaded a picture on social media naming himself "The face of boxing," a promotional term originally used in the build-up to the 2023 fight between Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia, despite varied opinions of the event. The picture also called him the "Most influential figure in boxing and MMA."

September 14 at Las Vegas' T-Mobile Arena will see Canelo Alvarez defend his WBA, WBO, and WBC super-middleweight championships against Edgar Berlanga. Al Sheikh will supervise a UFC event somewhere in Las Vegas coincidentally on the same night. Al Sheikh said in a statement about the rivalry with Alvarez-Berlanga, "We will eat him."

The boxing world keeps close eye to observe how these declarations and moves will affect the future of the sport as the battle between these two powerful personalities gets more intense.