Turki Alalshikh, the Chairman of the Saudi Arabian General Entertainment Authority, had hoped to organize a boxing match between David Benavidez and Terence Crawford. The proposed bout aimed to take place in the 160lbs middleweight division. However, the plans did not proceed due to it being impractical for Benavidez to cut down from his current fighting weight class, as revealed through an interview on Sean Zittel’s YouTube channel.
David Benavidez, a former two-time world super middleweight champion with an undefeated record of 28-0, including 24 knockouts, is already scheduled to fight Oleksandr Gvozdyk. Their bout is set for June 15 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas in the light heavyweight division. A win could propel Benavidez into contention for challenging the winner of the upcoming Beterbiev vs. Bivol fight.
On the other hand, Terence Crawford (40-0, 31KOs), who is also a three-weight world champion, has his next fight confirmed against Israil Madrimov on August 3. This match will take place at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles and sees Crawford defending his WBA junior middleweight title.
Eddie Hearn and Alalshikh confirmed Crawford’s match against Madrimov during an event in New York. This marks Alalshikh's first venture into organizing major boxing events on American soil.
