Saudi adviser and boxing matchmaker Turki Alalshikh has insisted that Canelo Alvarez will fight in Riyadh this month despite this week’s fatal attacks on the city’s international airport.
On Saturday, a strike on King Khalid International Airport left 13 people dead and more than 300 injured, according to Saudi officials, before a a second attack claimed another life and injured approximately a dozen people.
The strikes, claimed by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis, were the third and fourth on the airport over the last five days, and they led the airport to be closed. Around 60 per cent of scheduled flights are expected to be cancelled on Monday, per data from aviation analytics firm Cirium.
The latest attack came after the Houthis blamed the Saudis for a recent strike on the airport in the rebel-held Yemeni capital of Sanaa. The escalation in the war’s new front threatens to draw in greater US military involvement, with president Donald Trump saying he is considering joining the fight against the Houthis. There was no White House comment on Sunday, however.
Boxing icon Canelo, a former multi-weight world champion, is scheduled to fight Christian Mbilli for the WBC super-middleweight title on 31 October at Riyadh’s Kingdom Arena.
Despite speculation that this week’s attacks could thwart that event, Canelo will still face the unbeaten Mbilli, according to Alalshikh, who has been a major player in some of boxing’s biggest fights in the last three years.
On Sunday, the Saudi adviser wrote on X: “Canelo reached out and told me he’ll still fight in Riyadh this October, no matter what happens. He fears nothing.
“My country is home to the two Holy Mosques, land of peace, safety, rich civilization, deep history, and kind-hearted people.
“Thank you to everyone who checked in and showed support. Hard times reveal true friends.”
Last Thursday, the same day as one of the attacks on Riyadh’s international airport, brought the reveal of the Canelo vs Mbilli undercard, with some voices in boxing criticising the timing of the announcement.
The undercard has been billed as “Mexico vs the Rest of the World”, with Canelo’s compatriots Jaime Munguia, Rafael Espinoza and David Picasso all in action.
The 31 October event will mark the second time that Canelo, 36, will box on Saudi soil. He previously fought William Scull in Riyadh in May 2025.
Canelo won that bout on points before losing an undisputed title fight against Terence Crawford in Las Vegas last September.
Canelo subsequently underwent elbow surgery and has not fought since his decision defeat by Crawford, which marked the end of latter’s career; the modern great retired unbeaten in December.