Golden Boy, Top Rank Partner Up with The Saudis

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Golden Boy, Top Rank Partner Up with The Saudis - Boxing Image
Riydah, Saudi Arabia: Anthony Joshua v Francis N'Gannou, Heavyweight Contest 9 March 2024 Picture By Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing. Anthony Joshua celebrates his win with Chairman of General Authority for Entertainment Turki Alalashikh.

Is the takeover pretty much complete now?

Saudi Arabia has just announced “partnerships” with both Top Rank and Golden Boy Promotions.

Turki Alalshikh, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Entertainment Authority and figurehead for the Saudis’ boxing ambitions, announced the news via Twitter/X Monday morning.

The “partnership” between the two major promotional companies and Saudi Riyadh Season, per press release, is “aimed at bolstering the promotion of top-tier boxing events throughout the world.”

From the Golden Boy press release:

“The collaboration between both organizations will begin with the Interim WBC Super Welterweight World Championship clash between current Interim Champion Serhii Bohachuk (24-1, 23 KOs) and the undefeated Vergil Ortiz Jr. (21-0, 21 KOs) on Saturday August 10 at Michelob Ultra Arena at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.

The agreement solidifies Golden Boy and Riyadh Season’s commitment to elevating the sport of boxing by leveraging the strengths of both entities.”

In the Top Rank press release, it’s stated that Riyadh Season will sponsor twelve events throughout the remainder of 2024 and into 2025.

These “partnerships” follow similar arrangements with Matchroom Boxing and Queensberry Promotions in the UK, as well as streaming service DAZN and sanctioning bodies, the WBC and WBA. A handful of individual fighters have also signed deals aligning themselves with the Saudi boxing efforts.

What all these deals mean in the boxing big picture of things remains to be seen. There’s been no information released regarding what such “partnerships” mean, other than the obvious, “The Saudis are giving them money” as a form of promotion for their Riyadh Season. In a larger sense, these deals also provide aid for Saudi Arabia’s image reconstruction initiative, which has the ultimate goal of changing the kingdom from a nation best known for oil money and state-sponsored human rights violations into a major tourist destination.

Golden Boy, Top Rank Partner Up with The Saudis - Boxing Image

Despite rumors that members of the Top Rank inner circle were resistant to the Saudis’ advances, Monday’s news proves otherwise. Last year, Top Rank’s Bob Arum called the Saudi involvement in boxing a “game changer.”

Golden Boy founder and figurehead Oscar De La Hoya, meanwhile, stated just last week, in his new “Thursday Clap Back” social media video feature, that he had not been approached by the Saudis.

“Now there’s a lot of rumors that the Saudi’s are going to take over boxing and buyout every single promoter,” De La Hoya said. “Well guess what? I haven’t been approached, so don’t believe everything you read.”

Alalshikh recently made headlines for his stated goal to establish a league in boxing, tying together the sport’s top stars to facilitate cross-promotional matchups. Although long-term logistics don’t necessarily favor the success of such an endeavor, the idea generated a lot of attention from fans and media, as well as plenty of debate.

The first Saudi-sponsored boxing event in the US is scheduled to take place August 3 at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles with Terence Crawford vs. Israil Madrimov slated as the main event.

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Last Updated on 07/22/2024