Lindolfo Delgado Out of Riyadh, IBF Title Fight With Biyarslanov Off the Canelo-Mbilli Card

Update (Oct. 30): No replacement was found for Delgado, and the vacant IBF title fight is off the card. Biyarslanov has left Riyadh for home. Read the latest.

The Oct. 31 card in Riyadh has lost its IBF title fight. Lindolfo Delgado will not travel to Saudi Arabia to face Arthur Biyarslanov for the vacant IBF junior welterweight title on the Canelo Alvarez vs. Christian Mbilli undercard, BoxingScene's Lance Pugmire reported, and Delgado's trainer Robert Garcia has now explained the decision himself.

"We refused to risk our fighter's safety," Garcia said in a video posted by BoxingScene on Monday, pointing to ongoing missile alerts, uncertainty over flights and what he called an unrealistic travel schedule.

From boxbid.ioGuess the PurseHow much did they get paid? The closest guess wins free points. Guess

Whose call was it?

Garcia had said for days that neither he nor anyone on Delgado's team had received travel information, and Yahoo Sports' Uncrowned reported he repeated that while working Albert Gonzalez's corner on the Foster vs. Navarrete undercard in San Antonio. But Dan Rafael reported Monday that staying home was "his and his team's choice, not because the promotion wouldn't book travel," adding that organizer Sela booked travel for 19 other fighters and their teams.

Biyarslanov, the unbeaten Canadian, is already in Riyadh. He arrived with promotional stablemate Mbilli by an alternate route, according to BoxingScene. His coach, Samuel Décarie-Drolet, told The Canadian Press via Sportsnet that he understands Delgado's security concerns, but noted that Biyarslanov, his camp and every other fighter on the card made it to Riyadh safely.

What happens to the title?

Nothing official yet. Yahoo Sports reported that efforts are underway to keep Biyarslanov on the card against a replacement, though the short notice and travel complications make that hard. The IBF has not said whether a substitute could fight for the vacant belt, and neither the promoters nor the sanctioning body has announced a new date for Delgado vs. Biyarslanov.

It's the second late change to the undercard in a week, after Lorenzo Parra was replaced by Ricardo Blandon against Rafael Espinoza (our story here). The whole show has been under a cloud since the U.S. ordered non-emergency staff out of Saudi Arabia (our story here), and DAZN is likely to call the fights partly from a London studio (our story here). Canelo vs. Mbilli for the WBC super middleweight title remains on for Saturday at Kingdom Arena (card preview).

Still think the main event goes off as planned? Lock in your pick for Canelo vs. Mbilli in Boxbid's Fight Picker before Saturday.