Canelo vs Mbilli Card in Doubt as Delgado Skips Riyadh Travel

The Canelo Alvarez vs Christian Mbilli card in Riyadh is wobbling. One of its biggest undercard attractions — a vacant IBF super-lightweight title fight between Lindolfo Delgado and Arthur Biyarslanov — is now reportedly unlikely to happen, with Delgado and trainer Robert Garcia still in the US and no travel booked for next Saturday's show.

That's according to boxing reporter Dan Rafael, who said Delgado, Garcia and the camp remain stateside while Biyarslanov is already on the ground in Riyadh. Asked directly whether the bout would go ahead, the answer he got was blunt: probably not. For a 24-0 (16 KO) contender ranked near the top of the division, sitting out a title shot is no small call.

Why Nobody Wants To Fly

The nerves trace back to earlier this month, when King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh came under attack, leaving one person dead and 11 civilians injured. Travel to Saudi Arabia got complicated overnight, and a card scheduled for the Saudi capital suddenly looked shaky. Garcia has been one of the louder voices questioning whether the event should proceed at all, and he's far from alone.

Despite the mounting safety concerns, Mbilli is still slated to defend his WBC super-middleweight strap against Canelo. Promotion for the Mexican's return hasn't slowed down, even as pieces of the card start to fall away.

What's At Stake For The Belt

The IBF 140lb title is vacant for a reason worth remembering: Richardson Hitchins (20-0, 8 KO) was forced to withdraw from a bout with Oscar Duarte after a weight-related mess, giving up the belt rather than defending it. Delgado and Biyarslanov were then ordered to meet for the strap. If Delgado doesn't show, that plan collapses.

So the open questions pile up. Does Biyarslanov get a replacement opponent on short notice? Does the title fight simply fall off the bill? And, bigger picture, can the whole Riyadh event survive if camps keep declining to travel? Canelo's comeback — his first since dropping a unanimous decision to Terence Crawford — is being marketed hard, but the card around it is looking thinner by the day.