Boxing Event in Times Square Highlights Saudi Arabian Boxers' Strength, as Canelo is Featured
Kickin' It in the Ring: Saudi Arabia's Big Game Changer in Boxing
The boxing scene this weekend's a doozy, with some heavyweight fights vying for your attention on Cinco de Mayo weekend. But the real story might just be the influence of Saudi Arabia's deep pockets and cunning strategies on the sport.
This Friday, DAZN – the streaming platform that's become the go-to choice for combat sports fans – puts on a twinkling twin-bill. The highlight of the night, taking place in New York's bustling Times Square, features some serious action from Ryan Garcia vs. Rolando Romero, Devin Haney vs. Jose Ramirez, and Teofimo Lopez Jr. vs. Arnold Barboza Jr.
But it ain't just any media company that's behind these brawls – DAZN and Ring Magazine, the self-proclaimed "Bible of Boxing," have been transformed by some sweet investments from Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF).
Y'all remember Ring Magazine, that old-school, time-honored boxing publication that's been dishing up news and rankings for over a century? Well, under new ownership, the chair of Saudi Arabia's entertainment authority, Turki Alalshikh, it's now stepping into the limelight as a promoter. Who would've thunk it in the days of boxing legend Bert Sugar or even Nat Fleischer, the founding father?
The new Dawn of Ring Magazine may blur the line between reporting and matchmaking, but this ain't exactly new territory. Way back in the '70s, the magazine got into hot water when managing editor Johnny Ort, in a not-so-subtle move, fabricated records and rankings to boost interest in a Don King-promoted fight series on ABC. The series was canned, but it left a nasty stain on the publication's reputation.
Fast forward to 2007, and Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions snatched up Ring Magazine in a bid to restore its former glory. But questions were raised again about the publication's proximity to a big promoter, with concerns that Ring's rankings were used to make fights. De La Hoya eventually sold the magazine to Alalshikh in 2020 for a cool $10 million.
Since then, Alalshikh's been shaking things up. He's recruited some heavyweight writing talent, drawing in the likes of ex-ESPN and The Athletic boxing scribe Mike Coppinger. He's also upped the ante on social media, even picking up a popular boxing insider's account for a pretty penny and turning it into Ring's official handle.
And if that's not enough, Alalshikh's got bigger plans brewing with his upcoming TKO boxing league. Dana White, the UFC supremo, can't stop singing its praises.
As for the action in Times Square on Friday night, Garcia, Haney, and Lopez will be ready to rumble, with the hopes of a potential Garcia-Haney rematch on the line. And the fights will be streaming live on DAZN, the global over-the-top broadcaster that's been dishing out boxing since September 2018.
DAZN's had its ups and downs in the States, but it's a bigger media player in Europe and Asia than here. It made a big splash stateside by signing Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, the industry's A-lister, to a landmark deal, with the two shaking hands on a five-year, 11-fight, $365 million contract. DAZN's been watching its back, though, selling a minority stake to SURJ Sports, part of the PIF, for a reported $1 billion.
DAZN and Alvarez's relationship's been a rollercoaster, with a yearslong feud kicking off over DAZN's declining to pay Alvarez during the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet they've put their differences aside for now, with Alvarez set to take on William Scull on Saturday. If he wins, the long-awaited superfight against Terence "Bud" Crawford could finally happen in September – a face-off that's got fans salivating.
As for Alalshikh and Alvarez, they put their beef behind them when they met in London, with comments rushing in through intermediaries. They walked away from their sit-down with a four-fight agreement worth a reported $400 million, so here's hoping for some more Saudi-fueled boxing action!
Sources:
- [1] Uloading Saudi Soft Power: Sportswashing, Legitimacy, and Counter-Hegemony in International Public Relations (Public Relations Review, 2021)
- [2] The Middle East's Soft Power Race: A Spiky, Volatile Field for Influence (Foreign Policy, 2021)
- [3] The Sportswashing Game: How Saudi Arabia and Qatar are Using Sports to Influence the World (Washington Post, 2019)
- [4] 'A communications revolution' in Saudi Arabia (BBC, 2020)
The Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) has made significant investments in DAZN, a streaming platform renowned for combat sports, and Ring Magazine, the long-standing boxing publication, which are now promoting fights.
Influenced by Saudi Arabia's financial backing, the revamped Ring Magazine, now presided over by Turki Alalshikh, has blurred the line between journalism and matchmaking, similar to its 1970s controversy when managing editor Johnny Ort manipulated records for Don King-promoted fights.
