Turki Alalshikh Questions Boxing Pound-for-Pound Ranking System as Naoya Inoue Overtakes Terence Crawford

Turki Alalshikh’s contribution to the growth of boxing in Saudi Arabia is irrefutable. An adviser at the Royal Court, Alalshikh currently holds the position of Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority. Using this position he has organized several mega fights, including the Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Uysk. However, while his love for boxing is quite evident, the Saudi Arabian national recently spoke up about a flaw in the post.

Alalshikh believes that Terence Crawford should not have lost the number one spot. This is why he took to X to call out the boxing authorities for the recent changes in the P4P list, saying,

“Inoue is a great boxer, but Crawford is the pound-for-pound number one. I don’t know how the ranking works or if there’s a clear criteria, but it seems like there are some personal opinions and inaccuracies involved.”

Terence Crawford is a great boxer and definitely one of the best of this generation. However, he has stayed away from the sport for over a year, and as a boxer, especially in regards to the P4P list, being active is a necessity. On the other hand, Naoya Inoue has been way more active and even faced some top-level competition.

Still, from the looks of it, Turki Alalshikh has a soft corner for Crawford, as he believes the American should still hold the top position. In fact, he is already working on setting up Crawford’s next big fight in Saudi Arabia, where he will potentially take on Mexican superstar Canelo Alvarez.

Turki Alalshikh reveals plans to set up a mega fight between Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford

Turki Alalshikh has proved time and again that he is capable of pulling off mega-fights. He is the reason Saudi Arabia has hosted so many huge boxing matches in the recent past. Now, he looks to continue this tradition with the Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk fight. However, he already has his eyes set on the next fight as he revealed in a conversation with ESPN,

“I’m working to deliver [Canelo], but it will be a big fight [for Crawford]. I’ll discuss the names with him.”

The weight difference between Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford is quite considerable. The Mexican fighter fights at a weight more than 10 lbs heavier than ‘Bud’ and that weight translates to a lot more power. While this might prove to be a challenging obstacle for Alalshikh, fans have been calling for Alvarez to take on David Benavidez. Hence, only time can tell if Turki Alalshikh can work his magic again and deliver a super fight for the Saudi Arabian boxing fans.