Turki Alalsik and Saudi Arabia's grip on boxing could become even stronger following news that a World Boxing League is in the works.
The Kingdom's involvement in boxing goes back many years, but it was only recently that Entertainment Authority Chairman Ararshik began to put more emphasis on the sport.
The huge boxing fan and powerful businessman organized two open weight bouts in one year, all with close undercards under the banner of the “Riyadh Season,” something fans are not used to these days.
It has been working with promoters and broadcasters across the board to take on a potential battle that has been troubling for years. News of its next ambitious move, funded by the Public Investment Fund, spread on social media earlier this week.
A New York Times report, which included information from two people involved in planning the project, revealed further details about the logistics.
The league, which will require an initial investment of $2 billion, would include up to 200 active male boxers across 12 weight classes. The idea is to solve the current problem of promotion, broadcasting and prize money getting in the way of elite showdowns by hosting regular top-level bouts to boost rankings.
There are a top 15 in each division and movement occurs regularly with cards happening not just in Saudi Arabia but all over the world – Alarsik's Riyadh season has already started this process with a card headed by Terence Crawford scheduled for Miami on August 3rd and a trip to London's Wembley Stadium in September for a possible match against Daniel Dubois in Anthony Joshua's next bout.
The boxing league would further cement Saudi Arabia's influence in the world of boxing and mark the country's most successful foray into sport after a number of endeavors, including football and Formula 1.
The Saudi Arabia-backed league is believed to be being considered to address many of the long-standing frustrations fans have had with the WBC, WBA, WBO and IBF, so it is unclear how the current four governing bodies will react to the plans.
The Times reports that the project has not yet reached final approval stages.
