��������

RIYADH: Turki Alalshikh, chairman of the General Entertainment Authority, has announced that Japanese superstar Naoya Inoue (31-0, 27 KOs) will defend his WBC super-bantamweight title against Mexico’s Alan Picasso Romero (32-0-1, 17 KOs) on Dec. 27.

The fight will headline Riyadh Season’s “Ring V: Night of the Samurai” at the Mohammed Abdo Arena, according to reports on Thursday.

This marks Inoue’s first fight in ��������, following his dominant title defense last weekend against Murodjon Akhmadaliev.

Ring Magazine has ranked Inoue third in boxing’s pound-for-pound ratings, with Terence Crawford first and Oleksandr Usyk second.

The card includes Junto Nakatani (31‑0, 24 KOs), the unified bantamweight champion, who will make his super‑bantamweight debut against Mexico’s Sebastian Hernandez Reyes (20‑0, 18 KOs), a 24‑year‑old rising star.

The card will be broadcast live worldwide on DAZN and Lemino in Japan.

LAS VEGAS: Global enthusiasm for championship boxing is set to rise, thanks to the upcoming contest between super middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and lightweight champion Terence “Bud” Crawford.

The bout, sponsored by Riyadh Season and Saudi sports promoter Turki Alalshikh, will be broadcast on Netflix Saturday, Sept. 13.

Wednesday saw high-profile boxers strutting their stuff before audiences at Las Vegas’ Fontainebleau Hotel. Saudi boxer Mohammed Alakel faces Travis Crawford (not related to Terence) as part of the main card lightweight bout prelude to the Canelo-Crawford battle.

Terence Crawford has fought in four divisions from lightweight to light middleweight, including the undisputed championship at light welterweight and welterweight. He says he will “prove the doubters wrong” when he faces off with Alvarez.

“You know, a lot of people was doubting me, saying that this never been done before. But my reply to it is, ‘It’s never been done before until somebody do it.’ And I think I’m gonna be the one to do it,” he told Arab News.

“Everything is … on schedule. Everything is where it needs to be. I feel great about it and I’m looking forward to it.”

Alvarez, whose 63 wins include 39 knockouts and only two losses and who is the two-time undisputed super middleweight champion, has captured prestigious belts from boxing’s four main sanctioning bodies — the  captured the boxing sports four most prestigious belts from its four major sanctioning bodies — the World Boxing Association, World Boxing Council, World Boxing Organization and the International Boxing Federation.

But some critics point out he has gone the 12-round distance in his last seven fights, with some “underwhelming performances” among them.

Crawford is confident ahead of the bout, saying: “I just think … styles make fights and … certain fighters don’t get up for them. But I think he’s motivated now and I’m looking forward to it.”

He thanked Alalshikh and Riyadh Season for sponsoring the fight and encouraging his move upwards into the super middleweight division.

Also looking forward to the weekend is Alakel, who will not take his recent successes — including knocking out his last opponent, Yumnan Singh, in the first round of their Aug. 16 match in Riyadh — for granted. However, he is hopeful of a win over Travis Crawford.

“I’ve been working really hard and it’s time to go show the people what I’ve been talking about,” he told Jon Anik, the Ultimate Fighting Championship commentator who will call the fights.

“I just focus on myself because I know the way I fight. I’m not somebody who really cares about what’s happening out there … No pressure, excited to be in a big, big crowd since I was (a) young kid. I’ve been dreaming of these moments and it’s finally alive … I feel the excitement.”

Also on the bill as a co-main fight before the Canelo-Crawford bout are Christian Mbilli who will defend his WBC interim super middleweight belt against Guatemala’s Lester Martinez.

Mbilli, who has won 29 fights with no losses, acknowledged a win could see him face off at a later date with the winner of the Canelo-Crawford battle.

“It’s a little bit of pressure, but it’s good pressure. I’m very happy to be part of attraction of the show. I have a message for everyone, don’t miss the fight. It will be a very, very good fight,” Mbilli told Arab News.

“I’m working on training to never have a loss. I don’t think about loss. I am thinking about win.”

The Cameroonian-French super middleweight, who competed in the 2016 Olympics, said he began boxing as a child because he was constantly fighting other kids in school.

“I had some problem in the streets when I was young. I had a lot of problems like fighting or something like that. I was moved to boxing to know how to defend myself,” he said, explaining how that helped him discover boxing as a career.

Another fight to watch is the bout between Fernando Vargas Jr., and Callum Walsh — both undefeated in their careers to date.

Vargas said he was honored to be sponsored by Riyadh Season and told Arab News his father advised him “to be smart first” and to “study his boxing rivals” and never take them for granted.

“It’s a huge opportunity. I’m not just on the card but I’m co-main eventing, so I definitely wanna get Turki’s (Alalshikh) attention with this victory.

He added he was grateful for the opportunities given to him.

“They get us to big stages like this and the fights in the beginning of your career. You gotta remember those who believe in you and put their money where their heart is.”

Many of the boxers spent the afternoon sparring in rings set up in the lobby of the Fontainebleau Hotel and Casino, while also discussing their hopes for the weekend with media representatives from more than 50 countries.

Canelo vs. Crawford will take place at the 65,000-seat home of the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders, the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada.