Delgado pulls out of Canelo's Riyadh card: 'Fight's off'

The Canelo Alvarez vs Christian Mbilli card in Riyadh has lost one of its title fights.

Lindolfo Delgado was set to face Arthur Biyarslanov for the vacant IBF light welterweight title on Saturday, October 31. On Monday his trainer, Robert Garcia, made it clear: "Fight's off."

WHY HE PULLED OUT

Garcia's main worry is safety. King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh was hit by a deadly attack earlier this month, and Americans have been told to reconsider travelling to Saudi Arabia. Garcia said even flying into Bahrain and driving five or six hours to Riyadh would be a risk.

There were practical problems too. Garcia said Delgado's travel documents had not arrived over the weekend, so he could not land before Monday night at the earliest. Getting over the jet lag while making weight for a world title fight in a few days was not realistic. Delgado has also just become a father.

WHAT HAPPENS NOW

Delgado is 24-0 with 16 knockouts. Biyarslanov, who is 21-0, is already in Saudi Arabia after travelling with Mbilli last week. It is not yet clear if he will get a new opponent on the card or if the vacant title will wait.

The rest of the card is still going ahead. Canelo has said he feels safe and refuses to pull out of his fight with Mbilli, the unbeaten WBC super middleweight champion.