Alvarez plans September return in Saudi Arabia

By Scott Shaffer

16/01/2026

Alvarez plans September return in Saudi Arabia

Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of the General Entertainment Authority of Saudi Arabia and the most powerful man in boxing, announced what he called a "big, big fight" for September 12th in Saudi Arabia. In a video posted on social media on Thursday, standing next to Alalshikh were former multi-division champion Saul "Canelo" Alvarez and promoter Richard Schaefer. Alalshikh said it would be the first Canelo Promotions show and would be called "Mexico Against the World." No opponent for Alvarez was named. A four-division champion, Alvarez's last fight saw him lose the undisputed world super middleweight championship to Terence Crawford, who has since announced his retirement.
 
PRIOR BOXINGTALK COVERAGE

SEPT. 16, 2025: Turki Alalshikh, who bankrolled last weekend's Terence Crawford vs, Saul "Canelo" Alvarez world super middleweight championship fight, paid a visit to the now ex-champion, Alvarez, and tweeted the followjng: "I just visited the champ in his place. He will soon start his vacation with his family. He has two fights left with Riyadh Season in 2026. We offered him to work with us until he quits and retires. I want go give a special thank you to Canelo for the special gift. He gave me the gloves [from] the fight, and I appreciate it very much."

SEPT. 15, 2025: Saul "Canelo" Alvarez issued this social media comment after his loss to Terence Crawford: "I feel very proud of everything I've achieved so far; we always want to win, but I accept this defeat with humility and learning. I am very grateful to my team for all the sa