Turki Alalshikh extended an invitation for up-and-coming fighters to plead their case as to why they deserve a slot on the Saul “Canelo” Alvarez-Terence Crawford undercard.
That hasn’t stopped the event’s chief bankroller from offering a few suggestions of his own.
The high-powered figure has named unbeaten prospects Mikie Tallon and Yuta Sakai as two candidates for the September 13 Netflix event from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. Both are coming off early knockout victories and have summer fights lined up, which could help further leave a lasting impression.
Tallon, a flyweight who is 8-0 (1 KO), scored his first win inside the distance with a second-round knockout of Jemsi Kibazange on June 14 in his hometown of Liverpool, England. A right hand put Kibazange down to produce the ending at just 2:17 of the second round.
Tallon’s previous seven bouts had gone to the scorecards, but the knockout win came right on time.
“I want to see this fighter on the undercard of Canelo vs Crawford,” , accompanied by a picture of Tallon and head trainer Joe Gallagher.
The 20-year-old Tallon – who is managed by former two-division champ Natasha Jonas – is due to next fight on July 11 versus an opponent to be determined in Liverpool. While Tallon prepares for that night, he and his team are already getting to work on a potential trip to the U.S.
“Thank you for the tweet [Monday] morning, Your Excellency,” Tallon said in a video response. “Hopefully see you soon and see you in Vegas. I won’t let you down.”
Added Gallagher: “Speak to you later.”
Sakai, 4-0 (4 KOs), extended his perfect mark one night after Tallon’s abovementioned knockout.
The 20-year-old southpaw bantamweight hails from Yokohama, Japan – the same hometown as four-division champ Naoya Inoue, both of whom are with Ohashi Promotions. In his most recent outing, Sakai stopped countryman Ryoji Myashita in the second round of their clash on June 15 in Osaka, Japan.
Sakai is due to return to the ring on August 21 in Tokyo, which could make it difficult to return just three weeks later in Vegas.
Still, there are lofty plans in store for the second-year prospect.
"I hope [Sakai] will participate in the undercard of Canelo-Crawford in September and Inoue's undercard in December,” . “And I want to make him an ambassador as one of the talents of The Ring Magazine.”
Both callouts came after a weekend where Christian Mbilli, 29-0 (24 KOs) – another fighter on Alalshikh’s earlier wishlist – delivered a statement-making performance. The unbeaten super middleweight claimed the WBC interim title with a first-round stoppage of former title challenger Maciej Sulecki on June 27 in Quebec City, Canada.
Mbilli was one of nine fighters to fight on the September 13 undercard.
Jake Donovan is an award-winning journalist who served as a senior writer for BoxingScene from 2007-2024, and news editor for the final nine years of his first tour. He was also the lead writer for The Ring before his decision to return home. Follow Jake on and .
