If you caught today’s press conference for Canelo Alvarez vs. William Scull in Riyadh, you might have noticed a strange moment when Turki Alalshikh shook his head to stop Eddy Reynoso from bringing the WBC belt onstage. The confusion left many wondering why Turki would block that particular belt from the photo op.
Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, has been vocal about wanting Canelo to unify all four super middleweight straps, especially with Terence Crawford looming on September 13 in Las Vegas. Yet at the same time, he and UFC president Dana White are spearheading a new boxing league that plans to recognize only one belt per division - meaning this push for “undisputed” could be overshadowed by a new belt system.
Watch Canelo vs. Scull presser highlights: Watch
In any case, Canelo’s WBC, WBA, and WBO titles are on the line May 3 (local time) when he hopes to pick up Scull’s IBF championship. That would make Canelo undisputed again in the division, paving the way for his mega-fight with Crawford - who’s moving up two weight classes. As for Turki’s abrupt belt-block, it might be a sign of how future Saudi-sponsored cards will handle outside sanctioning bodies. For now, Canelo shrugs off the awkwardness: he’s focused on beating Scull, then, he hopes, making even bigger pay-per-view history against Crawford this September.
Get to know more about the fight here.
Image Credit: The Ring