In recent years, Turki Alalshikh, the Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority, which regulates the entertainment industry in Saudi Arabia, has made his intention clear of making combat sports a fixture within the country. On Monday, he made yet another move to further corner the market of boxing.
Alalshikh, who has previously vowed to fix boxing (which he believes is “broken”), has worked with DAZN Boxing to orchestrate the hosting of some of the biggest boxing events in recent memory, including the Anthony Joshua-Francis Ngannou fight card this past March and the Tyson Fury-Oleksandr Usyk fight card in May.
Hosting events is a big part of how the sport is perceived in Saudi Arabia. But now, the sport will in part be influenced by Alalshikh from a media perspective as well.
On Monday, Alashikh took to social media to announce that he has purchased The Ring magazine, an online American boxing publication that has been around since 1922. In the post, he also announced some changes to the publication, saying that he intends to bring back the print version.
“Earlier this week, I finalized a deal to acquire 100% of The Ring Magazine, and I want to make a few things clear, the print version of the magazine will return immediately after a two-year hiatus, and it will be available in the US and UK markets,” wrote Alashikh on X. “The magazine will be fully independent, with brilliant writers and focusing on every aspect in the sport of boxing. We will restore the legacy of The Ring Rankings to its old mechanism with a fully independent panel that lives up to the Ring Magazine’s golden era.
“We will continue to raise the prestige of The Ring Titles, and plans are already underway to have a yearly extravagant awards ceremony to celebrate the very best in the boxing industry. In the coming weeks, we intend to debut a brand new state of the art website and mobile app. We are already in development for a line of Ring Magazine merchandise. The Ring Magazine will be a fully independent company without any involvement from Riyadh Season. In the end, let’s get the Bible of Boxing to heights that it has never seen in the past.”
Earlier this week, I finalized a deal to acquire 100% of The Ring Magazine, and I want to make a few things clear, the print version of the magazine will return immediately after a two year hiatus, and it will be available in the US and UK markets. The magazine will be fully… pic.twitter.com/EwO4AWob0N
— TURKI ALALSHIKH (@Turki_alalshikh) November 11, 2024
Oscar De La Hoya, the owner of The Ring before Alalshikh’s announcement, confirmed the news in a conversation with Brian Mazique of Forbes.
“The offer from Turki Alalshikh was an offer that I could not refuse,” he said. “It’s in great hands. I strongly feel that Turki Alalshikh, because of his love of the sport is going to continue to grow the brand and make sure that the Ring Magazine continues to thrive, grow and to give fans the best content.”
Alalshikh’s decision to purchase the publication certainly opens up several possibilities regarding the kind of content they could dive into.
Previously, The Ring covered professional wrestling before shifting strictly to boxing. Alalshikh’s relationship with the WWE is well documented, with numerous high-profile events being held in Saudi Arabia in recent years. He even suggested that a Royal Rumble or WrestleMania could be hosted in the country.
On top of this, the UFC held its first event in Saudi Arabia, UFC on ABC 6, back in June, with plans to return to the country as a part of their extended agreement signed earlier this year.
Realistically, we could see The Ring become a true one-stop shop for all things combat sports related if Alalshikh chooses to branch out from just boxing content. We’ll see what direction he decides to go with his new magazine.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.