Comments Thread For: Vergil Ortiz Jr. poised to benefit from Canelo Alvarez-Turki Alalshikh beef

[fistandfury]

I think "his excellency" will have a short shelf life in boxing, the entire seat of his power is predicated upon blowing huge sums of money, history has shown that is not sustainable in any form of business or governance. On top of that, he already believes he is bigger than the sport, which is going to piss off a proud traditionalist like Canelo. He will make big fights, no doubt about that, but I give it two years before this whole circus collapses on itself.

[M111]

I think "his excellency" will have a short shelf life in boxing, the entire seat of his power is predicated upon blowing huge sums of money, history has shown that is not sustainable in any form of business or governance. On top of that, he already believes he is bigger than the sport, which is going to piss off a proud traditionalist like Canelo. He will make big fights, no doubt about that, but I give it two years before this whole circus collapses on itself.

It’s termed sportswashing and essentially the Saudi regime are fronting tonnes of money in various sports in a bid to obscure their shocking human rights record. It’s works well for boxing who’s past is shrouded in dodgy deals, corruption and criminality. The money won’t dry up for a very long time, it’s a question of whether the Saudis get bored and turn their attention to something else. It’s getting them massive, popular publicity at the moment so it’s not about to stop.

[M111]

Crawford’s power doesn’t look like it’s carried fully to 154.
Benvidez power hasn’t carried to 175.
Canelo’s power didn’t carry to 175.
Morrell’s power didn’t carry to 175.

Everyone think because Pac breezed through 7/8 divisions blasting people out that everyone can do it. Lots suspected PED abuse.

Until we see how Ortiz’s power carries against a live dog at 154 we shouldn’t take anything for granted. I expect him to struggle more than he anticipates just like Crawford did. Happy to be surprised if he doesn’t.

[Left Hook Louie]

It’s termed sportswashing and essentially the Saudi regime are fronting tonnes of money in various sports in a bid to obscure their shocking human rights record.

Turki's petro-dollar fueled machinations will last only as long as His Excellency King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, His Excellency Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and any other top-tier Excellencies of the Saudi Royal Court want it to last. If they think they are not getting the PR value they want, they will pull the plug on this Turki Trot and then it's back to the same-old chaos we've come to know and love/hate from boxing. It's no coincidence that Buffer and Diamante pay tribute to His Excellency King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and His Excellency Prince Mohammed bin Salman (Keepers of the Two Holy Mosques) in the ring at Riyadh Season events.

[Bronx2245]

The question I have is, if Turki and Vergil are on the same page, why did the fight get removed from last Saturday's card? Is Oscar still in charge of Vergil, or is it Turki? Crawford vs. Ortiz Jr. would be a great fight, but what's gonna happen with Jermell Charlo and the WBA? Will the WBA order Charlo vs. Crawford, and if so, does Crawford vacate to fight Ortiz Jr.?

Jermell Charlo Enforces WBA Mandatory Status, Eyes Shot At Israil Madrimov
by Jake Donovan
April 18, 2024

Jermell Charlo is not yet done with the junior middleweight division.

The Ring has confirmed that Charlo has contacted the WBA via email to invoke the rights that come with his “Champion in Recess” status. The move will allow the reigning Ring 154-champion to immediately challenge newly crowned WBA titlist Israil Madrimov.

The development comes as it was learned that Madrimov was in talks for a high-profile title defense. The Ring’s No. 3-rated junior middleweight was linked to a potential showdown versus three-division champion Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford (40-0-1, 31 KOs). BoxingScene.com reported that talks were underway for a possible August showdown in Los Angeles.

That rumor would line up with a teaser post from Turki Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority featuring Crawford. A photo of the sport’s pound-for-pound king and Ring 147-pound champion was enough to arouse industry-wide interest.

https://www.ringtv.com/668651-jermel...rail-madrimov/

[Kzbox]

I don't get the hate for turki he's been making good fights and people are angry he is telling Canelo to take competitive fights for good money instead of walkovers? the people with this mindset are fans of boxers (i.e Canelo) not fans of boxing.

[Bronx2245]

Turki's petro-dollar fueled machinations will last only as long as His Excellency King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, His Excellency Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and any other top-tier Excellencies of the Saudi Royal Court want it to last. If they think they are not getting the PR value they want, they will pull the plug on this Turki Trot and then it's back to the same-old chaos we've come to know and love/hate from boxing. It's no coincidence that Buffer and Diamante pay tribute to His Excellency King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and His Excellency Prince Mohammed bin Salman (Keepers of the Two Holy Mosques) in the ring at Riyadh Season events.

Crawford vs. Madrimov: A $10 Million Fiasco for Riyadh Season
By Robbie Bannatyne - 08/07/2024
Boxing News 24

Last weekend, Terence Crawford vs. Israil Madrimov reportedly lost $10 million in a Riyadh Season event at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles. His Excellency Turki Alalshikh put on the event staged in Southern California rather than Las Vegas.

A Main Event That Poisoned the Well

Placing Crawford-Madrimov in the main event in SoCal was a cup of poison, and fans didn’t want to drink.

Losing $10M+ might not be a big deal for Turki if money is no object to the Saudis, but they can’t be pleased if they are concerned about making a profit. Journalist Kevin Iole says tickets were given away for the event to fill the BMO Stadium, yet it wasn’t full. Indeed, you could see many empty seats, even during the Crawford-Madrimov main event.

In hindsight, Turki’s decision to match Crawford against the little-known Madrimov was bad for a main-event fight. Fans in the U.S. aren’t familiar with the former WBA junior middleweight champion Madrimov, who came into the fight with just 11 pro fights and was a complete unknown.

Empty Seats Despite Giveaways

“The Crawford-Madrimov card in Los Angeles last week, the first Riyadh Season event put on by the Saudis in the U.S., likely lost more than $10 million, several sources told KevinIole.com. The pay-per-view sales were negligible,” said Iole on his site about last Saturday’s Riyadh Season event headlined by Crawford vs. Madrimov at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles. “Scores of tickets — thousands of them — were given away for the Crawford-Madrimov show, and still the stands weren’t full. Tickets were way overpriced and even when they were cut dramatically, it’s not like there was a massive demand.

If these numbers are accurate, Turki Alalshikh must focus on getting superstar Canelo Alvarez for Crawford’s next fight in 2025. Canelo-Crawford would sell, and it’s big enough to fill a stadium on the West Coast, should Turki want to stage it there.

Reasons for Crawford-Madrimov event failure

• Crawford’s inactivity: He hadn’t fought in 13 months and had competed annually since 2020.
• Lack of star appeal: He was non-smiling, lacking in charisma, and came across as having a chip on his shoulder going into the fight.
• Israil Madimov was not well known to Americans.
• Staging fight in the wrong location
• Poor promotion
• Undercard problem: Although the undercard was excellent, there wasn’t a fight that was big enough on its own merit to help the poor main event. Crawford vs. Madrimov was the main event, and it was pure poison.

The former Top Rank-promoted Crawford fought the wrong opponent because he’s not a big enough name to lure fans to pay to watch him fight an obscure newbie world champion. Madrimov had captured his WBA 154-lb title last December, and he’d not been around long enough for anyone in the States to know him.

Canelo: The Crawford Antidote?

Crawford, 36, isn’t a big draw and needs a popular fighter like Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis or Canelo Alvarez to headline a fight card on the West Coast. Turki needed a big name to help Crawford last weekend because he’s not a ticket or PPV seller and never has been.
NEWS: Crawford and Hearn Spar on Social Media Over Madrimov Fight
Although Crawford has a lot of technical ability and talent, he’s not popular with casual fans, lacks charisma, and his fights are generally not entertaining. To sell, Crawford needs guys that fans are eager to see. If Turki can’t get them big names for Crawford to fight, he needs to put him in small venues, preferably in his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska.

Aside from them, Crawford lacks the popularity to headline in a stadium on the West Coast. He’s fine in a small venue, but you can’t put him in a stadium and expect it to fill, even with a great undercard.

https://www.************.com/2024/08...riyadh-season/

[Sam_langford]

BOY.... Did Turki Alalshikh blast Canelo or what. I love the "of course anyone who likes easy fights won't like that" and the "And I know how he feels after losing to (Dmitrii) Bivol, so he's been looking for easier fights ever since. Also, I'm not the one who's afraid of fighting (David) Benavidez" comments.
Way to go Turki.
Canelo is an arrogant ducker at this stage of his career. More people should call him out.

[M111]

Turki's petro-dollar fueled machinations will last only as long as His Excellency King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, His Excellency Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and any other top-tier Excellencies of the Saudi Royal Court want it to last. If they think they are not getting the PR value they want, they will pull the plug on this Turki Trot and then it's back to the same-old chaos we've come to know and love/hate from boxing. It's no coincidence that Buffer and Diamante pay tribute to His Excellency King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and His Excellency Prince Mohammed bin Salman (Keepers of the Two Holy Mosques) in the ring at Riyadh Season events.

Totally but the Saudis are so rich paying a billion here and there for nice publicity is nothing to them. Suspect it’ll go on for a while as can’t see them doing a great deal to improve human rights etc.

[Left Hook Louie]

Totally but the Saudis are so rich paying a billion here and there for nice publicity is nothing to them. Suspect it’ll go on for a while as can’t see them doing a great deal to improve human rights etc.

Sadly I agree with you. It's wishful thinking on my part. What's troubling is that the Saudis sense a weakness in the West, as if there's a scent of moral decay in the air now that emboldens them to push Turki on us and all the visibility it brings. Ten years ago I don't think they would have tried.