Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford Boxing Fight Eyed by Turki Alalshikh

An official for Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority laid out his plans to stage what would be one of the most hotly anticipated fights in boxing.

Turki Alalshikh told ESPN’s Mike Coppinger he’s prepared to do what it takes to make Canelo Álvarez vs. Terence Crawford happened.

“I’m working to deliver [Canelo]but it will be a big fight [for Crawford],” he said. “I’ll discuss with him the names.”

Securing one half of the equation might be fairly straightforward. Alalshikh is helping to present the card headlined by Crawford and Israil Madrimov on Aug. 3 in Los Angeles.

“There’s a lot of respect that comes with Turki and myself,” the welterweight champion said to Coppinger. “He’s seen the road that I had to take to get to where I am now. And he just wanted to display respect for the sport of boxing and not just somebody that’s coming to hold these type of fighters down and not let the world see him . It’s an honor that he chose me. So I’m definitely grateful.”

When it comes to Álvarez, there’s little doubt a Saudi-backed venture would at least theoretically have the finances to meet his likely asking price. When dismissing the idea of ​​a bout with David Benavidez, he said in March he might reconsider for $150 million or more.

There’s no question that Canelo vs. Crawford would have massive broad appeal. The winner would be able to make a strong claim as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.

A lot of boxing fans will also agree with Alalshikh when he told Coppinger that boxing is “broken” thanks in part to a lack of a centralized authority over the sport. The matchups that failed to materialize over the last decade or so would probably rival what was actually presented.

Alalshikh’s involvement, however, would renew the concerns over the wider “sportswashing” efforts by Saudi Arabia. The country has widened its foothold across multiple sports, with critics arguing it’s an effort to sanitize the Saudis’ image and turn the attention away from human rights violations by the ruling regime.

Either staging or working to promote a Canelo vs. Crawford card would be another big feather in Saudi Arabia’s cap.