Turki Alalshikh demands entertainment as Saudi bank-roller hits out at boxing stars

Turki Alalshikh has vowed to strip back his life-changing pay packets to fighters who are not prepared to leave everything in the ring and provide value for money.

The Riyadh Supremo has cut a frustrated figure in recent months with a number of high-profile fights failing to live up to their hype.

'His Excellency' has handed colossal prize money to some of the biggest names in boxing, including the likes of Ryan Garcia, Devin Haney and Teofimo Lopez - all of whom featured on the recent Times Square card in New York.

The free-to-air bill, which was designed to attract casual fans to the sport, left a lot to be desired however, with all three of the main events drawing criticism for a lack of excitement and energy.

It now appears as though Alalshikh has seen enough, with the 43-year-old hitting out at those who aren't prepared to earn their bumper salaries inside the ring.

From this point on, I don’t want to see any more Tom and Jerry-type boxing matches where one fighter is running around the ring and the other is chasing him.

- @Turki_alalshikh (X)

"We can longer support these kind of fights with Riyadh Season and The Ring.

"We want to support fighters who leave it all in the ring and fight with heart and pride!🥊🥊🥊"

The news comes amidst reports that the Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority (GEA) of Saudi Arabia is set to announce major changes to Riyadh Season undercards.

As opposed to stock-piling bills with big name fighters, it appears as though Alalshikh will venture down the UFC route of including lesser known, up and coming fighters - starting with the hugely-anticipated Canelo Alvarez v Terence Crawford card later this year.

"The world will be watching Riyadh Season’s Canelo Alvarez-Terence Crawford fight of the century on Netflix,” Alalshikh wrote on X.

"And for that, I want to load the undercard with young, hungry fighters who deserve the chance to perform under the bright lights.

"These are some of the names I hope to see fighting in Las Vegas on Sept. 13, led by The Ring champion Junto Nakatani. If you are interested, you and your teams know how to find me."

Alalshikh’s list, in order of how he wrote it, features:

Junto Nakatani (bantamweight; 31-0, 24 KOs)
Christian Mbilli (super middleweight; 28-0, 23 KOs)
Mohammed Alakel (lightweight; 4-0)
Reito Tsutsumi (featherweight; 1-0)
Justin Viloria (junior lightweight; 9-0, 7 KOs)
Emiliano Alvarado (junior featherweight; 7-0, 5 KOs)
Jamar Talley (2-0, 2 KOs)
Abdullah Mason (lightweight; 19-0, 17 KOs)
Nishant Dev (1-0, 1 KO)

Mark Mothershaw

• Riyadh Season
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