Canelo will fight in Riyadh on Oct. 31, promoter says
Saudi promoter Turki Alalshikh says Canelo confirmed he will fight after the airport attacks; the WBC, DAZN and Mbilli's camp have not commented.
Turki Alalshikh, the promoter of the card and head of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority, said Saúl "Canelo" Álvarez assured him he will fight in Riyadh on Oct. 31. He posted it on X on Sunday, Oct. 11, after the attacks on King Khalid International Airport, according to El Porvenir, a Mexican newspaper, and The National. This newsroom could not read the original post; the quote comes from those two outlets.
El Porvenir reports that the boxer told him he will fight in Riyadh "no matter what happens." Alalshikh added that Canelo "fears nothing."
Neither the World Boxing Council (WBC), DAZN nor Christian Mbilli's team has announced a change of venue or date. The National adds, citing The Athletic, that Canelo wants to go ahead and that DAZN is moving forward with its plans for the broadcast. The fight is for the WBC super middleweight title and is part of the card called "Mexico vs. the Rest of the World."
The casualty figures from the attacks do not match. The National reports 13 dead and more than 300 injured on Saturday, Oct. 10, and one dead and 11 injured on Sunday, according to Saudi authorities. El Porvenir reports 12 dead and 309 injured. There is no single official toll.
The insecurity has already affected the Saudi sports calendar. The Saudi Pro League postponed the Abha-Al Faisaly match, and The National notes that this year the April Formula 1 race and next month's World Rally Championship event were already canceled.
Canelo, 36, with a record of 63-3-2, has not been in the ring since his unanimous-decision loss to Terence Crawford in September 2025. The venue has been in doubt since the U.S. security alert of Oct. 5. The only voice confirming the fight today is the promoter's, and the WBC and DAZN have yet to say whether the card stays in Riyadh.
