There appears to be friction between The Ring owner and Riyadh Season head Turki Alalshikh and American lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson. With the Saudi chairman having clearly expressed his distaste for fighters who are deemed to be “running”, Stevenson appears to be facing the brunt of Alalshikh’s ire having already been downgraded from headlining the upcoming July 12th show to now facing more challenges with a smaller ring.
In a series of recent posts released on social media, Turki Alalshikh doubled-down on his distaste for “Tom and Jerry fights” ― a reference to the Tom and Jerry cartoon show, meant to denote bouts where one fighter spends the majority of time chasing down an opponent that moves around the ring.
A day later, Turki Alalshikh referenced “Tom and Jerry” again, this time clearly appearing to antagonize Shakur Stevenson (23-0, 11 KO’s) whose style heavily utilizes footwork to move around the ring.
Notably, the upcoming July 12th card was set to be headlined by Shakur Stevenson defending the WBC lightweight (135 lbs) against William Zepeda (33-0, 27 KO’s), but has now been overruled by the less significant bout between super middleweight (168 lbs) contenders Hamzah Sheeraz (21-0-1, 17 KO’s) and Edgar Berlanga (23-1, 18 KO’s).
The July 5th bout between Jack Catterall and Harlem Eubank seems to have further enticed Alalshikh to drive home the point of wanting less movement in the ring and more brawls, as referenced by posts made through the weekend where he appeared to lambast the fight, styling it as a “Jerry and Jerry” fight.
Alalshikh’s assertions of not liking “Tom and Jerry” fights seem to have been spawned from the controversy of the May 2nd and May 3rd shows, both of which Alalshikh had a hand in, that resulted in several records for the fewest punches thrown in 12-round fights being broken.
Clearly offended at what happened during those shows, Alalshikh has jested about the upcoming fight between Stevenson and Zepeda featuring a ring that shrinks as the rounds go on ― though this might be a promotional tactic to attract more potential viewers.
However, there are multiple facets to Alalshikh’s past statements that draw concerns.
Most prominently, the success of the Riyadh Season and recent The Ring shows have been defined by competitive fights that do not stifle a fighter’s way of fighting. Prior to the May 2nd and May 3rd shows, Turki Alalshikh had made little to no mention of “Tom and Jerry fights”, and such bouts were clearly not an issue up until this year.
Then there’s the overall reality that certain fighters are simply incapable of fighting in the manner Alalshikh prefers. Though brawls feature a lot more action than a bout where one fighter chases after the other, boxing encompasses more than just two fighters slugging it out in the ring; hence why there are a multitude of styles that have been developed over the past century and more.
Alalshikh’s statements show a close-minded outlook on what boxing is and further shows bias towards fighters that prefer fighting up close; despite most of these fighters lacking the skills needed to properly cut off the ring to ensure success.
By championing one style, Turki Alalshikh also fails to acknowledge the complex nature of boxing and the disadvantages some boxers have who could employ a more fleet-footed style of fighting out of necessity ― usually associated to having a handicap of sorts such as a lack of power or weak chins.
Others use it as a form of strategy, in order to allow their skillset to flourish against hard-hitting boxers.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. remains the most vivid example of fighters that use the entire ring to suit their style, having been known to be more offensive-minded throughout his career before the condition of his brittle hands forced him to adopt a defensive approach in order to be able to continue his career.
Stevenson, a multi-division champion, is known for his footwork but also lacks the power to make an impact in the pocket ― making it unfeasible for him to engage with a fighter up close for too long. With Stevenson purportedly also suffering from brittle hands, there are handicaps that force him to employ the style he does to ensure the longevity of his own boxing career.
Yet that clearly appears to no concern to Turki Alalshikh whose rhetoric seems to contain a disdain for fighters that do not entertain in the ring, despite certain health concerns playing a role in the manner they fight.
Consequently, there appears to be no adjustments of any ring made for the Sheeraz vs. Berlanga bout. Known for having a solid jab, Sheeraz would be at a disadvantage fighting in a smaller ring given his height and reach, yet the absence of any sort of ring adjustments during his upcoming fight with Berlanga points to the same favoritism Alalshikh displayed during Sheeraz’ February 22nd bout against Carlos Adames where he frantically pointed out to Sheeraz’ corner that he was behind on points according to the judges’ scorecards.
The Adames-Sheeraz fight was eventually announced as a split-decision (SD) draw despite Carlos Adames (24-1-1, 18 KO’s) having won the match clearly.
Alalshikh’s latest series of posts only validate concerns surrounding increasing tyrannical behavior despite his contributions in staging some of the best cards over the past two years. With Stevenson having become a clear target due to his style, fighters that are better capable of dishing and taking damage should be able to profit immensely from the new changes that the Saudi chairman appears to want to enact.
Yet that also comes at a decline of skills that were considered to be basic in boxing, with Oscar De La Hoya himself having advised fighters to learn how to cut off the ring to deal with opponents who are considered to be “running” ― one of but many skills every fighter should strive to learn to become better in their craft.
