Team Arthur Biyarslanov Discusses Failed IBF Title Fight with Lindolfo Delgado

Riyadh Season’s Mexico vs. The World boxing event on Saturday is scheduled to take place just two days after the Saudi Kingdom came under fierce attack from the Houthi Forces in Yemen over the past month.

The apparent war in the Middle East has consumed much of the headlines away from boxing. While in our sport, most have been highly skeptical that the event would take place at all, especially after Riyadh’s International airport was bombed on October 10, killing 13 people.

However, the card headlined by Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez challenging Christian Mbilli for the WBC super-middleweight title has seen the vast majority of its participants arrive in the Saudi capital with little drama.

Canada’s Arthur Biyarslanov was originally scheduled to lock horns with Mexico’s Lindolfo Delgado for the vacant IBF super lightweight title on the undercard. Biyarslanov (21-0, 17 KOs) and his team made the trip east late last week, arriving in Riyadh on Friday. As they settled into their surroundings and acclimatized to the new time zone over the weekend, Delgado’s trainer Robert Garcia alluded to the fact that his team had not received their travel instructions while giving an interview to Francisco Salazar in San Antonio. By Monday morning, BoxingScene’s Lance Pugmire and journalist Dan Rafael had reported that Delgado (24-0, 16 KOs) would not be making the trip, citing safety issues, while Rafael reported an expiring passport as the issue.

“If my athletes need me here, then I’m here,” Biyarslanov’s trainer, Samuel Decarie-Drolet, told FightsATW during a Zoom call. “I think this is my fifth or sixth time here. Every time I come, it is amazing. You look at what is happening in the media compared to what it is actually like here; it’s totally different. Before I first came here, I would have never known it was such a nice country with the nicest people. Everyone is so gentle and polite. It’s incredible. We are super happy. It was a long trip from the airport to my hotel room; it was 33 hours. But we did have a layover in Dubai for over 12 hours, so we rested a bit there, and then we flew here (Saudi Arabia), then we took a car to drive here. But everything is good.

“Although Delgado has decided that he doesn’t want to come, I don’t think it is fair because we have done the training camp, made the sacrifices, and we are here. Everybody is here! It is not like lots of fighters have pulled out. For sure, it has been a little bit difficult with the communication at times, but on these big shows it is always a bit complicated. It’s nothing special; it’s always a little bit like this. It’s a very unfortunate situation, and we will have to reschedule that fight for a world title with Delgado. So for now, we are looking at different options and trying to get some other opponents if possible. We are working on a B-plan.”

At the time of writing, no replacement opponent has been announced.

“Our focus has been easier to maintain once we got here because we can see that life goes on for the people who live here,” Decarie-Drolet explained. “When we were back in Canada, we had to rely on what the media were saying. Obviously, there was a catastrophic event, and I’m not minimizing what happened; it was a tragedy. Don’t get me wrong, I really don’t want to sound like I don’t care about what has been going on, not at all. At the same time, once we got here, you couldn’t tell. Anytime that a life is in danger, every life matters. At the same time, if you look at what they are saying in the media and what is actually happening here, it is two totally different things.”

Biyarslanov is promoted by Camille Estephan’s Eye of the Tiger Management. The same goes for the headliner Mbilli. A fight with Canelo has long been chased by Mbilli and Estephan. A serious spanner has been thrown into the works alongside the violent conflict in the region. Decarie-Drolet will also work as Mark Ramsay’s assistant when Mbilli and Canelo square-off.

“I got the news on Saturday,” Decarie-Drolet said of Delgado’s pullout. “They were saying before that they didn’t want to travel. Camille Estephan called me and said that he tried to convince their team that he was going to pay and take care of extra security from his own pocket! But they still didn’t want to come. It’s their choice, and if they don’t feel safe, I cannot judge that. I even respect the decision. Although at the same time, they knew the situation from the beginning. They could have told us weeks ago. They probably were thinking the same thing as us. They were probably waiting to see if the situation got worse or better. So, I understand and respect their decision.

“The weird thing is that fighters put their life on the line every time they step in the ring, even when they are sparring. Even when you leave your house, anything can happen. You cross the street, you can get hit by a car. If it is meant to be, it is meant to be. I think that their decision has left a sour taste. But people have families and it’s a very difficult decision. I believe Delgado recently had a baby too. Like I said, I can’t judge them too much. We are here ready to fight, on weight, being professional and respecting the agreement that we signed. It’s not a huge surprise as they have been saying that they didn’t want to go, I just think they could have told us earlier that they wanted to cancel.”

We moved our conversation onto how Biyarslanov was handling the unfortunate situation in what would have been a maiden world title fight and the biggest fight of his career.

“He’s a Muslim and his trust in God is bigger than anything,” Decarie-Drolet said. “He’s disappointed because he’s been chasing that fight for so long. If he hadn’t been disappointed, I would have questioned his objectives [in boxing]. He’s good; he’s got his brother with him. We spoke to his manager Jim Kambosos and with Camille, and we are trying to stay positive. We need to be more like Arthur and believe in God’s plan, because there is nothing we can really do.”

Adam Noble-Forcey

Adam is a regular contributor to FightsATW and serves as the Online Editor for Germany’s longest-running boxing publication, BoxSport Magazin. He has covered the sport for over a decade, contributing to leading platforms including BoxingScene, Seconds Out, Boxing Social, and Pro Boxing Fans. In addition to his written work, Adam is a lead boxing commentator across Europe, calling fights in Germany, the Netherlands, France, Russia, Latvia, Albania, and the United Kingdom.

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