‘We don’t have normal fight’: Alalshikh discusses his vision and intended plans for boxing
Turki Alalshikh says his work is important for the sport of boxing.
Turki Alalshikh sits down with The Ring Magazine he owns to share his ideas on a number of topics, including the undercard for the Canelo vs Crawford card, other big events he’s looking to build this year, incentivizing fighters to perform, and more. Check out some excerpts of what he had to say below.
Alalshikh on the undercard for Canelo vs Crawford
“We are thinking about having [on] the undercard [Jarrell] Miller against Jared Anderson. We will see with Top Rank and with Jarrell. And we will have two fights more, the main card will be four fights. We will have Canelo vs Crawford and the co-main event and two fights, one of them is Jarrell Miller if we finish it.
“Then there is another card that starts earlier for free for everywhere. We are thinking to put around from 6 to 10 fights for talent.
“I am sure the UFC will stop when the fights will start, the main card, I think.”
On his plans for the fall
“We are talking with our friends to do cards in November and I hope to have Ortiz against Boots, Bakole against Itauma, Zepeda against [Andy] Cruz, if I have the chance, Mbilli against Lester Martinez. If they accept and the promoter accept we want to do it in one night in November.
“And in December we have ‘The Monster,’ the real monster. 27 of December we have Inoue. We are thinking now we are close to finish Inoue against [Alan] Picasso as main event and all the card will be built as big fights, the biggest fights between Japan and Mexico.
“Then we have the second fight if everything go right in February for Canelo...it is going to be against one of the two options Sheeraz or Eubank.”
On creating a performance incentive for his cards
“It will start in the Canelo vs Crawford main event. There is a bonus, but not for the neck out because I think it’s not right to do it for the neck out, but for performance. And we will push harder in the future to choose the right way to deliver to us the right fight. It is the sweet science but you need to have tactics, of course, but I don’t like running.
“Bonus and who doesn’t deliver for us, escaping and running all the way without any tactics [shakes head] — we will miss him.
“If you go around like what we see in Canelo last fight [against Scull], this is running for 12 rounds...You know what is the problem? Sorry, but this is what all the time I talk with the IBF. They put us in this situation. We need the undisputed, we lose one belt we need to get it back — for that we take this fight.”
On what the performance incentive will be
“Six figures [at my discretion of their performance]. If he give me everything — I don’t care about attacking and get back, jabbing, tactics, with the rope, going [into] the fight with a plan, pressing in some rounds and some rounds rest. This is no problem. But if you give me for 12 rounds chasing match, [no] thank you.”
On other cards he has planned
“I am thinking and will study it, legally or something, there is a card I’m thinking to do this year with special edition card here in America with The Ring, not Riyadh Season, with [modified rules].”
On innovations he wants to implement, for those who can actually afford it
“In Crawford vs Canelo me and Dana decide — I give him good idea and he like it — to have eight chairs, four couples, special, close to the ring, special place, special access to all the week of the fight and locker room and everything, and have some special items from the fighters, special access and everything.
“And the cost of two chairs as a couple is around, we think between $500[k]-$1,000,000, okay. The money will split between charity and the fighters.”
On potentially working with Gervonta Davis
“I don’t have a problem with him or any fighters. If he respect what we are doing to the boxing, I don’t have any problem. And if he want the green light from Haymon, we work with Haymon now. In each card we have one or two fights with Haymon. It depends about him if he want to enjoy the fast train for the glory, he know where he can search. And of course I like and I respect the loyalty for his partner Haymon.
“He need to understand that what we are doing is important for boxing. We work with who respect us and we have a tough fight, we don’t have normal fight.”