As a journalist and 40-year fan of boxing, I hope we continue to see huge news related to the Sweet Science unveiled at its current clip. On Friday night, January 17, boxing power broker Turki Alalshikh confirmed information several of the fighters he’s working with discussed earlier in the day.
On an upcoming super card in May, Ryan Garcia will take on Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz, and Devin Haney will clash with former world champion Jose Ramirez.
Then, in May, Alalshikh hopes to have the long-awaited Garcia and Haney rematch—provided they beat Cruz and Ramirez, respectively. On that card in May, Alalshikh plans to have Jaron “Boots” Ennis face Teofimo Lopez.
Then, in February 2026, the winners of Garcia-Haney and Ennis-Lopez in the planned tournament concept will face each other, and the losers will fight as well. Alalshikh broke it down in a post on X.
The trash talk between some of the fighters has already begun.
By the time May rolls around, the level of hype around the card could be off the charts.
Alalshikh continues to deliver the most logical and exciting boxing concepts that have previously been blocked by promoter greed and fighters being extremely protective of their records.
In fighters’ defense, they’ve been forced into that posture as the sport has been unkind to guys with losses on their records over the past 25 years. Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s 50-0 record and his position as the king of pay-per-view boxing have made fighters with losses seem less marketable.
Alalshikh aims to change that mindset, and he’s offering life-changing money to fighters to convince them to take on opponents that would have normally been avoided. There are some that don’t believe this approach is sustainable, but for now, it has produced a modern golden era for the sport.
During Alalshikh’s rise as a power broker in boxing, he has facilitated huge fights like Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk 1 and 2, Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou, Fury vs. Ngannou, Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol, as well as the massive February 22 card in Riyadh that will feature the sequel to the light heavyweight unification bout.
Promoters are coming along for the ride because Alalshikh and Riyadh Season are footing the bill for fighter pay, thereby removing a large portion of the risk and monetary investment.
Fighters like Gervonta Davis, who are marquee names but who have yet to work with Alalshikh, could be feeling the heat soon. Davis has been downright surly towards Alalshikh and the fighters who have chosen to work with him.
Davis is scheduled to fight Lamont Roach Jr. in March in a fight that most don’t consider to be a competitive scrap on paper. At some point, Davis’ popularity could begin to see a decline if he isn’t matched up with other notable names.
Davis’ best potential opponents, like Shakur Stevenson, are already working with Alalshikh. We’ll see if Davis ever decides to work with Riyadh Season, or if he chooses to remain on the other side.
It’s been a long time since boxing fans have had such a wide variety of fights to enjoy. Sprinkling in alternative aspects like Jake Paul and the Misfits Boxing promotion, fans are getting even more layers of the sport.
Love it or hate it, at least for now, it appears to be good for the game.
