Canelo: Alalshikh-TKO deal good for boxing, fighters
Unified super middleweight champion Canelo Álvarez supports Turki Alalshikh joining forces with TKO Group Holdings and UFC CEO Dana White to form a new boxing promotion.
Álvarez said Thursday he believes the partnership will be a positive development for athletes.
"I think it's the best for the fighters out there," Álvarez told CBS Sports' Brian Campbell. "I'm fine with that. I think they're gonna do the best for the fighters, I'm pretty sure about that. I'm glad somebody cares about the fighters because there's a lot of promoters who don't take seriously the fighters. I think this is good for boxing, for the fighters, especially."
Alalshikh, the chairman of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority, announced Wednesday that he and TKO - the parent company of the UFC and WWE - signed a multi-year deal to launch a new boxing organization.
White suggested that the promotion will follow a similar model to the UFC, saying that "the best will fight the best" and there will be one champion per weight class.
Álvarez, the biggest star in boxing, could have a significant role in the new promotion, as he signed a four-fight deal with Alalshikh in February. Álvarez is scheduled to face IBF super middleweight champ William Scull for the undisputed title May 3 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and is expected to take on WBA junior middleweight titleholder Terence Crawford in a superfight later this year.
Alalshikh teased earlier this week that the first TKO boxing event could take place in September, and Álvarez believes there's a chance he'll be on that card.
"(There's) always an opportunity to fight in September in Las Vegas. That's my date," Álvarez said. "But I need to take care of the May fight first, and then we'll see in September. But there's a possibility to fight in September in Las Vegas and be the first event for their promotion."
Álvarez stunned the boxing world last month when he backed out of a fight with Jake Paul at the last minute to sign the deal with Alalshikh instead. Looking back, the 34-year-old Mexico native believes he "did the correct thing."
"It's better for me," Álvarez said of his decision to fight Scull. "At this point in my career, I just want to continue making history. That fight (against Paul) can - I don't even call it a fight. It's an event more than a fight. That event can wait until I retire."