There have been dozens of missile and drone attacks on Saudi infrastructure and allies this month, including several attacks on Riyadh airport that killed more than a dozen people and injured hundreds. Just that Thursday, Aden Palace and the presidential compound were also bombed, killing five and injuring more.
“Canelo reached out to me and told me that he will fight again this October in Riyadh, no matter what happens. He is not afraid of anything,” Turki wrote on social media. “My country is home to two holy mosques, a land of peace, security, rich civilization, deep history and kind-hearted people.”
A longtime boxing promoter Oscar De La Hoya then called out both Alvarez and Aalshikh for it, calling it a selfish move for money.
“Riyadh has been attacked. The attacks on King Khalid International Airport earlier this week killed 13 and injured over 300. That airport is closed until further notice. But despite the global news, Turki Aalshikh still thinks Canelo-Mbilli will happen in two weeks,” De La Hoya said on social media.
“He says Canelo has no fear. Canelo may not because he flies to a private airport!” he said. “But what about everyone else’s event? They’re scared. How come this event isn’t canceled? It’s a huge safety issue.
“I’m extremely surprised that Canelo hasn’t issued a statement about canceling this. He’s okay with putting people’s lives at risk to grab this money? Look, Riyadh has already moved the tennis tournament scheduled for next week. So do the right thing and move the event.”
De La Hoya also brought up Aalshikh’s attempts to control the combat sports media in his rant.
“Turkey and SELA, you bought most of the boxing media, but you can’t do that with global news. They tell you the truth about what’s going on there,” he said. “Remember when you sent me this one for the faint—cease and desist—clap? At this point you need to send one to the BBC, AP Wire, CNN, and the rest of the world’s outlets to spin your narrative.
“You spent billions of dollars trying to convince everyone that travel to Riyadh is perfectly safe, and then it happens. Stop pushing your agenda on people. Value human life and safety over your financial interests.”
Outside of boxing, TKOs can also be affected by ongoing conflict in the region. WWE’s Crown Jewel event is scheduled for Saudi Arabia on November 7th, while the UFC also has an event there on December 5th. UFC Saudi headliner reportedly targeted The return of Israel’s Adesanya against another flamboyant striker.