This deal could shake international boxing in its foundations: The Saudi Box Mogul Turki al-Heikh is getting together with UFC boss Dana White. The boxing world associations will not be happy to hear their goal.
As became known on Wednesday, Al-Heikh, the chairman of the Saudi Entertainment Authority GEA and investor of the “Ring” magazine, and the companies TKO and Sela enter into a common promotional partnership, which will in future give the tone in boxing.
TKO in particular is a big name in martial arts, the company includes the MMA organization UFC and the Wrestling series WWE. The faces of the sensational deal are al-sheikh and UFC boss Dana White.
“This trend-setting partnership between these power centers is preparing the stage for unprecedented experiences for boxers and fans,” al-Heikh is quoted in the official message: “Together we develop the next generation of talents and deliver world-class events at a time when sport ripe is for a further upheaval.”
Al-Heikh expanded west
Saudi Arabia has been dictating the market in boxing for some time. The mega fights between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury took place in Riad, as did the latest spectacle of the light heavyweight stars Dmitry Bivol and Artur Betterbiev.
It was only in February that Al-Heikh announced that Superstar Canelo Alvarez had signed. So far, Al-Heikh has worked primarily with the British promoters Frank Warren and Eddie Hearn.
Al-Heikh recently organized its high-gloss evenings, especially as part of the Saudi event series “Riyadh Season”. With the investment at “The Ring” and the new deal, he also wants to expand his supremacy internationally – especially in the USA. According to media reports, the new triumvirate, under the leadership of TKO, is to set up the blockbuster of the Pound-for-Pound Grands Canelo and Terence Crawford in Las Vegas in autumn.
New boxing league planned according to the UFC model
Dana White, whose UFC is extremely popular in the United States and in the MMA, will also be involved in boxing in the future. Al-Sheikh and White hovers a global boxing league, similar to the UFC, which is supposed to usher in the end of the large world associations WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO.
“Everyone knows the format – the best fights against the best. You work up the ranking and if someone comes into the top 5, there is no question of who in a weight class that is five best – they fight it out,” said White with a view of the UFC model.
Once a boxer carries the champion title of the new league, “then you don’t need three letters in front of the belt,” the American alluded to the boxing associations. “Whoever has this belt is the best in this class. A very simple model.”