The General Entertainment Authority has seemingly ruled out the possibility of a highly anticipated matchup between Terence Crawford and Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. This decision follows Crawford’s recent victory over Israil Madrimov, where he claimed the WBA junior-middleweight title at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.
Initially, there were plans to match Crawford, arguably the world’s best fighter, with Alvarez, the sport’s highest-profile name, at 168lbs. However, it appears those plans may be changing. The reasons remain unclear, but it could be due to Crawford’s less impressive performance in his debut fight at 154lbs or other strategic considerations surrounding Alvarez, who is set to face Edgar Berlanga on September 14.
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Turki Alalshikh, chairman of the GEA, took to social media to clarify their new direction.
”I decided to disregard the Canelo fight, as I don’t want it anymore. Instead, I will be focusing on the US market with bigger fights, especially for the legend Crawford,” Alalshikh stated. He also mentioned plans to support fighters like David Benavidez, Jaron “Boots” Ennis, Devin Haney, Shakur Stevenson, Vergil Ortiz, Jared Anderson, and William Zepeda.
The GEA's shift in focus indicates a broader strategy for the US market, with upcoming fights being planned for 2024-2025. Notably, the GEA is set to host significant events, including the Wembley edition of the Riyadh Season card featuring Anthony Joshua vs. Daniel Dubois on September 21, and the opening card of Riyadh Season with Dmitrii Bivol vs. Artur Beterbiev on October 12. These events will culminate in the rematch between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury on December 21, with another major card planned for early 2025.
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