Boxing

Was Canelo Alvarez Told To Ditch WBC Belt By Turki Alalshikh?

Did the Canelo Alvarez vs William Scull press conference turn into belt turf wars in New York?
Lewis Watson|
IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

Saul Canelo Alvarez and William Scull met in New York yesterday ahead of their May 3 meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for the undisputed super-middleweight world titles.

On Cinco de Mayo weekend, the 34-year-old will take to the ring in his 67th professional bout, looking to end the unbeaten run of William Scull, and edge towards September's pre-planned super-fight against Terence Crawford.

All of the 168-pound belts will be on the line in Riyadh, but Thursday night's press conference raised a few questions of how the sport may look in the future under the new guidance of Saudi Arabia and Turki Alalshikh.

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Boxing fans have long argued the complications and confusion of having so many belts in circulation throughout each weight class and it appears as though Turki is aiming to unite champions under one belt.

The Saudi-owned Ring Magazine is obviously the direction that the 43-year-old Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority is looking towards and this was perhaps made clearer on Thursday as Canelo and Scull came head-to-head.

The Ring Magazine belt was being proudly displayed by Turki, and when Canelo suggested that his WBC title could enter the frame, confusion appears to ensue between the champion and Turki.

Whether Alalshikh did or didn't want the green and gold title to be included in the photo opportunities is a question for him only, but it may well spark conversations about the desire to "bin the belts" in boxing and unite behind one champion.

It's something that has angered the WBC president Mauricio Sulaimán in the past.

In an interview with IFLTV from 2023, the Mexican said the following:

"The Ring Magazine is a magazine. I don't know why the media and champions, promotors give any credit to the Ring Magazine belt that only threatens the credibility of the sport. I am very upset. If you touch my WBC I am going to fight back; I don't care about the Ring Magazine as they are a business, they make money, they are bias and that is not boxing."
Mauricio Sulaimán

As the Saudis gain more control over the boxing landscape, don't be surprised if the WBC, WBO, WBA and IBF fight back as the legitimacy of their champions are questioned.

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Lewis Watson
LEWIS WATSON

Lewis is a seasoned sports writer from London and has covered boxing across the globe for publications including Boxing News, The Guardian and SB Nation. He is a full member of the Boxing Writers Association of America, giving him voting rights at the annual International Boxing Hall of Fame inductions. Roman Gonzalez, Ricky Hatton and Roberto Duran make up a frightening trio of his favourite fighters.

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