TURKI ALALSHIKH has named 10 fighters he wants on the Canelo Alvarez-Terence Crawford undercard, urging them to deliver thrilling performances. The super-fight, set for September 13, will be broadcast live on Netflix from a yet-to-be-confirmed Las Vegas venue.
Canelo defends his undisputed super-middleweight championship against Crawford, who aims to become a three-time undisputed champion. Alalshikh, promoting the Riyadh Season event alongside UFC president Dana White and Sela, wants the undercard to showcase newly unified world bantamweight champion Junto Nakatani.
“The world will watch Riyadh Season’s Canelo Alvarez-Terence Crawford fight of the century on Netflix,” Alalshikh posted on social media platform X. “I want to load the undercard with young, hungry fighters who deserve to perform under the bright lights. These are my picks for September 13, led by The Ring champion Junto Nakatani: Christian Mbilli, Mohammed Alakel, Reito Tsutsumi, Justin Viloria, Emiliano Alvarado, Jamar Talley, Abdullah Mason, Nishant Dev. If interested, you and your teams know how to reach me.”
The 10 fighters boast a combined unbeaten record of 102-0, with 79 stoppage wins. Nakatani, Mbilli, and Mason are the stand outs. Japan’s bantamweight king enhanced his reputation by defeating Ryosuke Nishida last Sunday, forcing the 28-year-old to retire in the sixth round due to an eye injury. Nakatani, now holding the WBC and IBF titles at 118lbs, is nearing a colossal clash with undisputed super-bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue.
Mbilli is closing in on his first world title shot. The unbeaten super-middleweight faces Poland’s Maciej Sulecki on June 27 for the vacant WBC Interim belt. A victory would give the 30-year-old Frenchman 11 weeks to prepare for a potential undercard slot.
Mason continued his rise with a win over Jeremia Nakathila last Saturday. The highly-touted Cleveland southpaw could face Maidstone’s Sam Noakes for the vacant WBO lightweight title following the recent Keyshawn Davis controversy.
Alalshikh issued a stern warning on X to all fighters who work with him in the future: “No more Tom and Jerry-type boxing matches where one fighter runs and another chases. Riyadh Season and The Ring will only support fighters who leave it all in the ring with heart and pride!”
The Ring’s May 2 card headlined by Ryan Garcia vs. Rolando Romero received stinging criticism after a disappointing night of action. The undercard featured Teofimo Lopez vs. Arnold Barboza and Devin Haney vs. Jose Carlos Ramirez. While the unique Times Square setting was certainly eye-catching the fights were not.
