And to think, he’s far from retired at this point. This is what a number of boxing fans felt/wrote/shouted when news of His Excellency Turki Alalshikh’s induction, honorary, into the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame broke over the weekend.
As fans may have read or seen, the Saudi money man, who has given us some stacked fight cards over the past few months, was enshrined and awarded a trophy in the presence of boxing greats Roberto Duran and Oscar De La Hoya.
NBHOF founder Rich Marotta handed Alalshikh his trophy and also a green belt to “honor Alalshikh’s services to boxing.”
But to some, in fact to many, this has come way too soon. Yes, Alalashikh has pumped in a heck of a lot of boxing $dollars, and he and his team have given us some amazing fight cards. But, as fans have pointed out, Turki has not yet put on a card in Nevada, so how come the induction into the NBHOF? Some passionate fight fans have gone as far as to say Turki’s indiction is “shameful” and a sign that money – an absolute pile of it – really does talk. You may bring up other points that express your displeasure and disagreement with Turki’s enshrinement.
Moving on, it has, as we know, been reported how Alalshikh’s grand plan is to bring the sport of boxing under one big, all-powerful promotional umbrella, with the likes of Matchrom, PBC, Golden Boy, and Top Rank in Turki’s sights. Who knows if this will actually happen, but it cannot be denied that Alalshikh has made some major inroads into the sport he is said to love with a genuine passion.
For sure, we fans are liking the stacked cards Turki and his folks are putting on, but at the same time, so many actual fighters, who shed blood, sweat and tears in the ring, have never been enshrined any place, much less in the NBHOF. Yet now, mere months after coming into the sport, Alalshikh is in.
Your thoughts?
