Turki Alalshikh has introduced a strict new boxing rule and says he 'can no longer support' it.
Saudi boxing advisor Alalshikh has completely transformed the landscape of boxing following his emergence in the sport.
He has bought rival promoters together, including Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren, to make the biggest fights in the game; from Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk to Dmitry Bivol vs. Artur Beterbiev.
The 43-year-old has delivered another blockbuster showdown, having announced Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford for September 13 in Las Vegas.
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Alvarez vs. Crawford will be aired exclusively on Netflix, who recently broadcast Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul and will show next month's clash between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano.
Fresh off confirming Alvarez vs. Crawford, Alalshikh took to social media to implement a new rule for his events.
Alalshikh said he doesn't want to see 'Tom and Jerry-type boxing matches', claiming he and his team can no longer support these kinds of fights.
"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. We can longer support these kind of fights with Riyadh Season and The Ring," he wrote on X. "We want to support fighters who leave it all in the ring and fight with heart and pride!"
His pledge comes just a month after The Ring's extravagant Times Square card in New York City, which featured Ryan Garcia vs. Rolly Romero, Devin Haney vs. Jose Ramirez and Teofimo Lopez vs. Arnold Barboza Jr.
Despite the star-studded bill, the three fights failed to deliver, with each fighter coming under fire for their performances.
Haney was subjected to criticism, with Matchroom promoter Hearn claiming he was 'running' for large parts of the bout.
"It wasn’t necessarily that Devin was fighting off the back foot. He was running for the first 4, 5, 6 rounds of that fight," he said.
If fighters are aspiring to compete under Alalshikh's banner, then they'll have to adopt a different strategy if they plan on running around the ring.
Topics: Canelo Alvarez, Boxing
Nasir Jabbar