After Riyadh airport attack, Canelo vs Mbilli remains on – for now
An attack on the Saudi capital's airport has killed at least 12 people. No move of the 31 October world title fight has been announced so far.
Archive image · Photo: liton islam / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0 (cropped and resized)
Three weeks before the WBC title fight between Christian Mbilli and Saúl 'Canelo' Álvarez in Riyadh, the security situation in the Saudi capital has worsened. An attack on King Khalid International Airport on Saturday killed at least 12 people and wounded at least 309, according to the Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA), Al Jazeera reports. Saudi Arabia blames Yemen's Houthis; flights were temporarily suspended. On Thursday, an earlier attack on the airport killed three people, according to the authorities.
The fight remains scheduled for 31 October at The Venue in Riyadh and is offered on DAZN pay-per-view. According to World Boxing News and Big Fight Weekend, no official relocation, postponement or cancellation has been announced; Turki Alalshikh unveiled the undercard on the day of Thursday's attack. No statement from the organisers on Saturday's attack was initially known.
The US Embassy in Riyadh had already urged its citizens to exercise heightened vigilance on 8 October and warned of possible flight cancellations and airspace closures.