“It’s a Prison!” – Benavidez Slams Turki’s Alcatraz Fight Proposal

WBC light heavyweight titleholder David Benavidez (30-0, 24 KOs) has spoken out against Turki Alalshikh’s idea of staging boxing matches in unorthodox venues — including the infamous former prison, Alcatraz.

“He offered me a fight in June. At Alcatraz. I thought: ‘Dude, that’s a prison!’ Who’s even going to watch boxing there? How will fans get in? I like that Turki’s pushing creativity, but ideas like that distance boxing from the fans. I don’t want to be part of that.

I need to see the fans’ emotions, feel their energy when they go crazy — that’s what fires me up. Sometimes, when you’re trying to clean up the crap that’s been in boxing for years, you don’t realize you’re leaving your own crap behind,” Benavidez remarked.

Previously, Turki Alalshikh, Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority of Saudi Arabia, floated the idea of hosting fights in Alcatraz, on mountaintops, by the Mexican pyramids, atop the Eiffel Tower, inside the Colosseum, and other exotic locations.