“I’m worried I might forget my name by 2028 or 2029,” says Turki Alalshikh after his cancer and brain tumor diagnosis.
Turki Alalshikh recently opened up about his tough health battle after it was revealed he has cancer and a brain tumor.
Turki, who has been one of the most important figures in boxing recently, is the head of Saudi boxing. At 44, he’s played a huge role in making some of the biggest fights happen, like Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury, Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol, and Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou.
He also helped start Zuffa Boxing with UFC boss Dana White, and their promotion has been shaking up the boxing world.
During all this, Turki has been quietly dealing with serious health problems. Since 2015, he’s been fighting several types of cancer, with the most serious being a tumor near his brain’s pituitary gland. He spent much of 2018 and 2019 in New York getting treatment and, after returning, pushed for Saudi Arabia to invest more in boxing.
In a rare interview, Turki shared his hope to bring peace to the boxing world by bringing together some of the sport’s top names. “I’ll do my best to organize a meeting soon between my brothers Dana White, Nick Khan, Frank Warren, Eddie Hearn, and my partners and friends,” he told Ring Magazine.
“To make peace and change for boxing. I hope I succeed and fans will see the positive result. I want to do this before I start forgetting things. I’m scared that by 2028 or 2029, I might forget my own name.”
Getting Dana White and Eddie Hearn to make peace would be a big deal because of their recent rivalry. But since Turki helped bring Hearn and his old rival Frank Warren together for the Queensberry vs Matchroom 5v5 event in 2024, anything seems possible.
One top boxer who’s worked closely with Turki is WBC Welterweight champion Danny Garcia. He’s also rumored to be talking about a big fight with Zuffa Boxing’s Conor Benn.
After reading Turki’s statement, Garcia took to social media to send his support. He said: “Turki, it hurts to hear what you’re going through! Your love for boxing and the effort you’ve made has already changed the sport. It hasn’t gone unnoticed by me or many others. I’ll give my best to show you that boxing will be in good hands no matter what. You’re a fighter, a champion, and a hall of famer for boxing.”