Delgado Pulled From Saudi Card as Garcia Raises Safety Concerns

Lindolfo Delgado will not fight on the October 31 undercard of Canelo Alvarez against Christian Mbilli in Riyadh. Journalist Lance Pugmire reported the change after Delgado's trainer, Robert Garcia, publicly questioned whether it was safe to travel to Saudi Arabia.

"Told definitively that Delgado is off the Saudi card," Pugmire wrote on X.

Delgado was scheduled to meet Arthur Biyarslanov for the vacant IBF light welterweight title. His removal comes after several days of uncertainty about how his team would get to the country.

Warnings from Riyadh

The worries were set against reports of attacks on Saudi airports. A U.S. Embassy security alert dated October 21 said operations at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh remained suspended. A separate travel advisory urged Americans to reconsider visiting Saudi Arabia because of drone and missile threats.

Garcia had talked about his concerns over taking Delgado and his team into the country while they still had no travel arrangements. NY Fights reported those comments on October 22, several days before Pugmire's update.

Biyarslanov already in Saudi Arabia

Biyarslanov has already arrived in Saudi Arabia, according to earlier reporting from BoxingScene. It is not clear whether he will fight on Saturday or whether the vacant title will still be available to him on this card.

Pugmire's post does not explain how the decision was made inside Delgado's camp. It also does not say what happens to Delgado's IBF opportunity. The organizers are left without a challenger for the title bout days before the event.

Source: Boxing News 24