Riyadh Season Card suffers setback: Liam Smith out due to injury, Turki Alalshikh announces a surprise new opponent for Josh Kelly

The Riyadh season card is set to exhilarate boxing fans with the eagerly anticipated showdown between heavyweights Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois. However, an undercard bout on the card has suffered a fallout after Liam Smith succumbed to a virus, leading Turki Alalshikh to announce his replacement.

The chairman of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Agency took to social media to reveal that the super welterweight Ishmael Davis would replace Smith. He will take on Kelly in the eagerly anticipated middleweight encounter.

The Saudi businessman announced the replacement via X, stating:

"Liam Smith has suffered a health setback we wish him a speedy recovery ❤️ He will be replaced by Ishmael Davis in the #RiyadhSeasonCard Wembley Edition on September 21 🥊"

It's not the first time that Smith's health has caused him issues, as previously 'Beefy' suffered a back injury before the Chris Eubank Jr. bout, causing the Liverpudlian to have a dangerous weight cut.

Davis would be replacing Smith even though the former already has a fight lined up next month where he faces Uisima Lima for the IBF intercontinental super-welterweight belt at the Co-Op live arena in Manchester. 'The Black Panther' will be looking to keep his undefeated streak alive.

Kelly is coming off a TKO victory against Placido Ramirez, who succumbed to a countout following a right uppercut from 'Pretty Boy' last December and would be looking to extend his winning streak to six.

The event goes live on Sept 21. in Wembley, United Kingdom, with the Riyadh Season Card headlined by heavy-hitting heavyweights in Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois.

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Riyadh Season Card will offer a good price - Turki Alalshikh

Turki Alalshikh is the talk of the town in boxing. The Saudi adviser has been making all the right noises and in the right direction. He seems determined to revitalize the sport of boxing by making the fights the fans want to see while discouraging champions from holding on to their belts.

The 43-year-old is proving to be one of the best things to happen to the sport in recent memory. His vision of a UFC-like organization for boxing with fewer belts and more competitive clashes has further intrigued the combat sports community.

Moreover, the Emirati is preparing to lower the pay-per-view prices for massive boxing events, a move that promises to bring more eyeballs to boxing while relieving the fanbase financially.

His Excellency took to X to state his vision for future pay-per-view prices in no uncertain terms:

"Riyadh season card ppv Will be with good price for the fans 🙏🥊❤️"

The potential price reduction could prove fruitful for the sport and appeal to a wider audience and are sure to broaden the impact of boxing on a growing fanbase.