Turki Alalshikh has a message for Naoya Inoue after hosting soccer superstar Lionel Messi in Saudi Arabia
Undisputed super bantamweight champion boxer Naoya Inoue received a message from Saudi Arabian Chairman of General Authority for Entertainment, Turki Alalshikh after the latter hosted global soccer star Lionel Messi.
The Inter Miami forward is the global tourism ambassador for Saudi Arabia and recently visited the country. He met up with the enterprising Alalshikh, who continues to grow in popularity in the combat sports community.
Alalshikh posted a picture of himself and Messi with a boxing championship belt strapped to his shoulder and called out the legendary Japanese boxer, writitng:
"We challenge you Naoya Inoue 🥊🇯🇵"
Check out Turki Alalshikh's post below on Instagram:
Saudi Arabia has become the new hot destination for boxing and has hosted multiple blockbuster cards under Alalshikh's patronage this past year.
Some high-profile bouts featured in pay-per-view held in the capital city of Riyadh include, Anthony Joshua vs. Otto Wallin, Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou, and Deontay Wilder vs. Joseph Parker.
Alalshikh's post may be an invitation of sorts to the four-division world champion Inoue to come ply his trade in the Kingdom. His last five fights have taken place in the comfort of his own home country of Japan.
'The Monster' could potentially tap into the ever-growing fanbase in the Middle East if he agrees to come fight there.
Fans on X (formerly known as Twitter) reacted to the post, joking about a boxing match featuring the eight-time Balon d'Or winner Lionel Messi, while others offered a rational perspective behind Alalshikh's post.
"Messi in a boxing match would be an interesting site to see ngl"
"People think he wants Inoue to fight Messi lol no Turki wants him to fight in Saudi Arabia."
Ryan Garcia wants to fight Naoya Inoue in 'one of the biggest PPV fights of all time'
Former WBC interim lightweight Ryan Garcia is one of the rising superstars in the world of boxing.
In a recent video, he challenged Naoya Inoue to a fight that could potentially break pay-per-view records. 'KingRy' speculated about the mega fight and also remarked that Inoue could be a multiple-weight champion.
Meanwhile, Inoue is only the second boxer ever to be an undisputed champion in two different weight classes. Garcia said:
"Cause I think Inoue can become a multiple-weight world champion. So I’m thinking, what if one day we fight at 140? I’m talking about future and we do it in Japan. [It] will be huge. Huge. Mark my words. If it somehow plays that way, I think that fight will be one of the biggest PPV fights of all time. Remember, I just said that."
Check out Ryan Garcia's comments on Naoya Inoue below: