Turki Alalshikh has a tentative plan for David Benavidez and Devin Haney to share a card in February 2026, provided both emerge victorious in their respective fights on the November 22 event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Turki Alalshikh’s February 2026 Vision
WBC light heavyweight champion Benavidez (30-0, 24 KOs) should be good to go for the February 2026 event, as he has a title defense to get out of the way against Anthony Yarde on November 22nd. ‘The Mexican Monster’ Benavidez is heavily favored to defeat Yarde (27-3, 24 KOs).
The one who could have problems is Haney (32-0, 16 KOs), as he’s facing the knockout artist Brian Norman Jr. (28-0, 22 KOs) for his WBO welterweight title on the November 22nd event at the ANB Arena on DAZN PPV. Norman Jr. is seen by many as the hardest puncher in the 147-lb division and possesses power that Haney has never seen before during his career.
Haney Faces Norman Jr. Danger
Turki didn’t mention what his Plan B option is if Haney is vaporized by one of Norman’s shots that hits ground zero on November 22nd. It wouldn’t be the end of the world if Haney doesn’t make it through the Brian Jr. fight. If Turki can match Benavidez against one of the big names at 175, it won’t be a great loss not having Devin as part of the event.
Rumored options for Benavidez in February:
- Artur Beterbiev
- Dmitry Bivol
DAZN and Ring Magazine are both reporting about Turki Alalshikh’s ambitious plans to have Benavidez and Haney share the card next February.
Again, as far as Haney goes, it’s very iffy. To be safe, Turki would be better off mentioning Norman Jr’s name rather than Haney’s to share the card with Benavidez. That way, there will be less chance of the fans being let down.
Canelo’s Surgery Opens Riyadh Spotlight
Initially, Canelo Alvarez had been planned to fight in February 2026 as part of his four-fight contract with Riyadh Season. However, his elbow surgery has made it impossible for him to fight that soon. As such, Turki wants to package Benavidez and Haney together in a one-two punch just as he’s doing with the November 22nd Riyadh Season event to attract fans.
Written by Ken Woods, Ringside Boxing Analyst covering world title fights since 2018.
Last Updated on 09/30/2025
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