For years, a small group of alphabet-sanctioning bodies has controlled boxing. While their numerous titles have often confused casual fans, they have also allowed top-level fighters to avoid tough competition, making the four-belt era the worst time for the best fighting the best. Saudi Boxing Chief Turki Alalshikh has set out to change that narrative by putting on the biggest fights possible with his money and influence. But his recent alleged actions during the Canelo Alvarez vs. William Scull face-off, suggest he might pursue the belts issue next.
If you didn’t catch Thursday’s face-off between Canelo and Scull, who will fight on May 3rd in Saudi Arabia, a moment from the press conference has been making the rounds on social media, sparking some controversy. So, what exactly happened? Well, when Canelo and Scull finally came to face off, the Chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority (GEA) was standing between them with the undisputed and the Ring Magazine belts.
It’s worth noting that Canelo and Scull will fight for all four belts after Canelo Alvarez was stripped of the IBF strap last year. This fight would lead to the Terence Crawford bout in September, which if things go as planned for Canelo, would be for the undisputed status. Regardless, as both fighters came face to face with Alalshikh in the middle, someone pointed out the green and gold belt of the WBC was missing, offering to add it to the display.
Canelo Alvarez turned to Alalshikh before asking for it to be excluded. With a language barrier between them, it’s unclear whether Alalshikh had actually requested its omission or if there was a miscommunication. Either way, the incident stirred controversy, as the WBC belt was ultimately left out.
Heres one angle of the face off. You can see here they bring the WBC belt and Turki shakes his head NOPE! pic.twitter.com/b8Iw3sIFrs
— Marcos Villegas (@heyitsmarcosv) March 6, 2025
Since the incident, boxing legend Juan Manuel Marquez, who was once a proud owner of the WBC super featherweight title, has shared his two cents on the belt fiasco. When asked about the incident, Marquez said, “Canelo is undisputed fighter, he’s an undisputed champion, he need to defend four titles. And then for the ring magazine… the ring magazine is not good. It’s not good for the fight. Canelo need to defend for the four titles.”
When asked which belt is more significant, Marquez didn’t waste a breath to claim, “The four titles together [are more important].” This incident was made worse by Alalshikh’s recent partnership with TKO Holding, the company behind UFC and WWE, to create the new boxing league, which will have a single champion in every division.
It’s also worth mentioning that prioritizing the Ring Magazine belt over the WBC belt has angered WBC president Mauricio Sulaimán in the past. During an interview with iFL TV back in November 2023, he expressed his frustration regarding the same. “The Ring Magazine is a magazine,” he said.
WATCH: Mauricio Sulaiman on The Ring Magazine Belt (11/2023)
WBC vs. Ring Magazine?
“What is that? The Ring Magazine is a magazine. I don’t know why media and champions and promoters give any credit to a Ring Magazine belt…If you touch my WBC, I’m going to fight back!”… pic.twitter.com/WkZSYRkcAM
— Brunch Boxing (@BrunchBoxing) March 7, 2025
“I don’t know why the media and champions, promoters give any credit to the Ring Magazine belt that only threatens the credibility of the sport. I am very upset. If you touch my WBC I am going to fight back; I don’t care about the Ring Magazine as they are a business, they make money, they are bias and that is not boxing.”
At the time, Ring Magazine was not owned by Turki Alalshikh, so Sulaimán faced no resistance to his stance. Today, however, the landscape has changed, with the Saudi Royal wielding significant influence in boxing. Regardless, Marquez isn’t alone in sharing his thoughts about the WBC belt fiasco.
Robert Garcia shares stance on Canelo Alvarez vs. William Scull WBC belt incident
Robert Garcia was put on a difficult pedestal to choose a side between WBC and Turki Alalshikh. On the one hand, the Saudi Royal is giving his boxers opportunities of a lifetime. On the other hand, he has fighters under his wing who are champions with the WBC belt. So, when he was pressed about a statement, Garcia had to do what someone indebted to both sides could.
“Turki came to boxing to change a lot of fighters’ lives, doing a lot of big events, putting the biggest fights out there, the biggest cards out there,” Garcia told Fight Hype. “But I’m a trainer, I have fighters fighting on those cards but also have WBC champions also… So, I gotta support that too.” Garcia was visibly torn, as he tried to explain himself.
“It’s hard to take sides but I think both have a point,” he added. “WBC has to defend himself and do their thing, but Turki’s also doing his thing. He’s changing a lot of lives, a lot of kids are making more money than they’ve ever seen in their life. So, I don’t want to take sides, but I’m with both.”
It appears boxing is officially entering its next phase. Whether the four belt era comes to an end is yet to be seen, but one thing is clear, there’s about to be a conflict between how things have been done and how they will be. What’s your take on the matter?
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