Canelo in Riyadh: 'I feel safe here' – fight week starts on Wednesday
Despite the tense security situation in Saudi Arabia, Saul "Canelo" Alvarez says: "I feel like I'm at home." Wednesday's grand arrivals open the programme before his WBC title fight with Mbilli.
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Saul "Canelo" Alvarez is not letting the security situation in Saudi Arabia unsettle him. "I feel safe here," the Mexican told reporters after arriving in Riyadh, according to EssentiallySports, which cites a post by the sports account of the newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat. "I feel like I'm at home, and I don't see anything bad." Promoter Turki Alalshikh had earlier said Alvarez told him he would still fight in Riyadh in October "no matter what happens".
The backdrop is reports of Houthi attacks on Saudi airports, including Riyadh's. The US State Department has ordered non-emergency government staff to leave the country. According to British Boxing News, citing Reuters, other sporting events have been cancelled or postponed – Saturday's boxing card is going ahead.
Fight week runs as follows: grand arrivals on Wednesday, October 28, press conferences on Thursday and the ceremonial weigh-in on Friday. On Saturday, October 31, Alvarez challenges Christian Mbilli for his WBC super-middleweight title, live on DAZN pay-per-view.