Robert Garcia says his team pulled out of Canelo v Mbilli undercard over missile alerts
Garcia says an attorney already in Saudi Arabia told him they get at least two missile alerts a day, and the travel plan left a Tuesday arrival for a Saturday world title fight.
Trainer Robert Garcia says his team has withdrawn from the Canelo Alvarez v Christian Mbilli undercard in Riyadh, citing missile alerts in Saudi Arabia and a travel schedule he called impossible.
Garcia told BoxingScene that an attorney already in Saudi Arabia had told him they get at least two missile alerts on their phones every day. "Why would we risk ourselves going out there, you know, without being safe and flying into a different country," he said.
He said flights had not been provided by Friday or Saturday, leaving a Sunday-night departure that would get his fighter there on Tuesday for a world title fight that Saturday. "We can't go on a Sunday, get there Tuesday, to fight Saturday. It's unbelievable, it's impossible," Garcia said.
"It's ridiculous for me to risk my fighter just because they're forcing us," he added. Garcia did not name the fighter in the interview.
Canelo is due to fight Mbilli in Riyadh on 31 October. There has been pressure to reschedule that fight, but Turki Alalshikh has said it will go ahead as planned. Saudi Arabia has been hit by Houthi missile and drone attacks, and Dana White has said UFC events in Qatar and Saudi Arabia will go ahead despite the war.
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