“Missiles and drones coming to my country each day,” Alalshikh said on X. “Thank God my country is safe and we are happy,” revealing the situation outside boxing while making clear his involvement in the sport has not slowed.
“We just did Shakur Stevenson-Teofimo Lopez, the biggest fight in Madison Square Garden history,” he said, alongside Ryan Garcia-Mario Barrios in Las Vegas, which he described as one of the year’s biggest fights.
It sounds like Turki Alalshikh is using a “show, don’t tell” strategy to shut down the rumors. By listing out that massive lineup, he is making it pretty clear that his footprint in boxing is actually expanding rather than shrinking.
The schedule he mentioned for the first half of 2026 alone is massive. Shakur Stevenson recently put on a clinic against Teofimo Lopez at Madison Square Garden, setting a record for the venue, and Ryan Garcia’s win over Mario Barrios in Las Vegas was a huge commercial success.
Alalshikh added that he will be in London next week for Tyson Fury vs Arslanbek Makhmudov at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, before pointing to a planned heavyweight title fight between Oleksandr Usyk and Rico at the Pyramids.
“That’s just the first half of 2026,” Turki said.
He then outlined the second half of the year, confirming that a September date is being finalized for Canelo Alvarez during Riyadh Season, while also planning two fights for Anthony Joshua and additional bouts for Fury and Garcia.
By listing these specific fights, he’s sending a few very clear messages to the boxing world and his critics. He is reminding everyone that he has the keys to the biggest venues in the world (MSG, Tottenham, and even the Pyramids). The message is: “The sport moves when and where I say it moves.”
“And to prove your point that I am too busy and not interested in boxing anymore,” Alalshikh said, before listing the schedule. He closed with a pointed line: “This is my schedule this year when I am busy. Imagine if I not.”
That closing line, “imagine if I not”, is pure bravado. It’s designed to keep the fans and the media on the hook for the second half of the year. By confirming Canelo Alvarez for September 12 and teasing two Anthony Joshua fights, he’s making sure he stays the primary protagonist in the boxing narrative for the rest of 2026.
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