Robert Garcia says Lindolfo Delgado’s proposed travel schedule for the Canelo Alvarez–Christian Mbilli undercard would have left his fighter with just two days to adjust to the time change and cut weight for a world title fight in Riyadh.
Delgado was scheduled to face Arthur Biyarslanov for the vacant IBF light welterweight title on October 31. Garcia says Delgado is no longer on the card, with his team concerned about missile alerts and the trip to Saudi Arabia.
The trainer also questioned how Delgado could be expected to prepare properly if he arrived on Tuesday and had to make weight later that week.
“That means we have Wednesday and Thursday to get used to the time change and cut weight — Who does that in a world title fight?” Garcia told BoxingScene, in comments shared by EverythingBoxing.
That is a reasonable question. Delgado has trained for a chance to become a world champion, but accepting the opportunity shouldn’t mean rushing across multiple time zones, spending hours on the road and squeezing his final weight cut into two days.
Garcia said an attorney already in Riyadh told him people were receiving at least two missile alerts on their phones each day. The trainer also described a proposed route involving a flight to another country and a five-to-six-hour drive to the location.
“Why would we risk ourselves going out there without being safe?” Garcia asked.
Biyarslanov had already arrived in Riyadh, while Delgado and Garcia remained in the United States. That gave Biyarslanov more time to settle in before fight week. sports.yahoo.com
A world title opportunity can be difficult to turn down, particularly for a fighter who has worked his way into contention. But that pressure shouldn’t be used to make Delgado accept a rushed trip and a difficult weight cut against an opponent who is already in place.
The loss of the fight also leaves an unanswered question for Delgado: when and where will he get another opportunity to fight for the IBF belt? His concerns about the trip don’t make the opportunity any less valuable. They make the conditions Garcia described harder to justify.