Zanfer Boxing

The reasons offered for Lindolfo Delgado pulling out of his scheduled Saturday bout against Arthur Biyarslanov may have had been tied to more than just safety after a Tuesday report cited a source claiming issues around Delgado's passport.

Boxing reporter Dan Rafael posted to his X account information that suggested Delgado might have been blocked from traveling whether or not he and his team had concerns about the risk of traveling to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where Delgado-Biyarslanov had been set to appear on the Canelo Alvarez-Christian Mbilli undercard.

NEWS: Per source involved in #CaneloMbilli & as it relates to Lindofo Delgado not traveling for his scheduled 140 title fight, which is now off: Delgado's passport had either expired or was about to expire & the Saudis (like other places do also) would not issue a visa if it's Show more

Wrote Rafael: "Per source involved in #CaneloMbilli & as it relates to Lindofo Delgado not traveling for his scheduled 140 title fight, which is now off: Delgado's passport had either expired or was about to expire & the Saudis (like other places do also) would not issue a visa if it's expired (obviously) or inside 6 months of expiring. He renewed the passport last week & the visa was then being processed by the Saudis. It was set to be issued this past Sunday & that is when he opted out."

On Monday's episode of ProBoxTV’s “BoxingScene Today,” Delgado trainer Robert Garcia made an appearance and declared the fight off due to the risk associated with current conflict in the area, particularly for U.S. citizens.

Thirteen people were killed in bombings earlier this month at the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, and numerous other sports-related events have already been canceled or postponed due to unrest and concerns of more violence. The debate about whether or not the show should go on has divided the boxing industry.

“Why would we risk ourselves going over there without being safe?" Garcia asked on "BoxingScene Today" on Monday. "Flying to a different country [Bahrain] and driving 5-6 hours to get to a different location? It’s looking for trouble.”

It's unclear from Rafael's report whether Delgado ultimately would have been cleared to travel in time for fight week, but Garcia's additional comments suggested further complications that could have led to the decision for Delgado to withdraw.

“To get [accustomed to the travel] and cut weight for a world title fight, it’s unbelievable, impossible, ridiculous,” Garcia said.

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Oct 27, 2026