11/02/2024
In the world of boxing, few figures are as influential or outspoken as Top Rank Chairman Bob Arum. Known for his candor and long-standing reputation in the industry, Arum has recently found himself at odds with Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority (GEA) head, Turki Alalshikh, over a series of business and ethical disagreements. The feud reportedly revolves around a series of perceived transgressions and differences in approach, sparking tension between the two power players.
Photo Credit: Turki Alalshikh
One of the primary sources of tension between Arum and Alalshikh centers on the Saudi official’s approach to dealing directly with fighters. Alalshikh has been accused of bypassing traditional channels by reaching out to athletes without prior approval from their promoters. In the case of Top Rank’s prized heavyweight, Jared “Big Baby” Anderson, Alalshikh secured a deal for the fighter to appear on an August 3 Riyadh Season event in Los Angeles. Though Anderson was keen on participating, Top Rank’s plans for him to headline a hometown event in Ohio, alongside Albert Bell were consequently scrapped.
Photo Credit: Matchroom Boxing
Arum was reportedly incensed over this move, which disrupted his promotional strategy and eventually ended in a brutal loss for Anderson. Martin Bakole knocked Anderson out in the August 3 fight, raising questions about the future viability of Anderson as a marketable star. Arum had been counting on Anderson’s continued success as a major draw, especially as Top Rank navigates contract negotiations with ESPN. Arum has not held back, making his frustration with Alalshikh public and reportedly lamenting the loss of control in Anderson’s career path. The term “tortuous interference” has even been used to describe Alalshikh’s behavior, as reaching out to fighters directly without consulting promoters is seen as a serious breach of boxing’s established business ethics.
Adding fuel to the fire is an incident involving Japanese boxing superstar Naoya Inoue and the World Boxing Association (WBA). Earlier this year, the WBA ordered a mandatory title bout between Inoue and Uzbekistan’s Murodjon Akhmadaliev for the super bantamweight title. It is widely suspected that Alalshikh, who has a relationship with the WBA, influenced the decision to try to ensure Inoue’s participation in a Riyadh Season event in London. The bout was intended to be held at Wembley Stadium on September 21, a move that Arum was quick to criticize.
Photo Credit: Turki Alalshikh
“No chance. Who is this guy? Nobody’s ever heard of him… We’re not gonna fight a no-name guy in Wembley,” Arum said at the time to BoxingNewsED, clearly exasperated. He and Inoue’s Japanese promoter, Hideyuki Ohashi, viewed the bout as a non-starter, opting instead for Inoue to fight TJ Doheny in September and then satisfy his IBF mandatory in December. After some negotiation, Inoue and the WBA agreed to an arrangement where Akhmadaliev would instead fight for an interim title, while Inoue pursued his own preferred fights. This episode exemplified the control Alalshikh allegedly wields in the sport, leveraging partnerships to influence fighter placements and matchups. Arum, meanwhile, bristled at the notion of being forced into events and matchups by outside pressures, furthering the rift between him and the Saudi promoter.
Photo Credit: Matchroom Boxing
One of the sources of Alalshikh’s tension with Arum centered around the broadcast rights for the October 12 Riyadh Season event, headlined by the undisputed light heavyweight title bout between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol. Alalshikh reportedly wanted the entire card to be broadcast in the United States as a pay-per-view. Arum bristled at the suggestion and insisted on the event being distributed on ESPN+ at no extra cost to subscribers, as was the original plan. This led to a convoluted solution, where the undercard would be distributed as a pay-per-view on DAZN, and the main event would be a standalone one-fight telecast on ESPN+. Sources tell Brunch Boxing that Top Rank/ESPN was unhappy with the lack of communication between the two networks regarding the main event start time. The DAZN portion of the event did paltry pay-per-view numbers in the U.S.
In June, Alalshikh announced plans to create a boxing league in collaboration with all major promoters, aiming to establish a unified platform for fighters. While the idea may have seemed revolutionary, it quickly met resistance, particularly from Top Rank. According to sources close to the situation, Top Rank senior executive Carl Moretti dismissed the proposed Saudi Boxing League as a “pipe dream,” casting doubt on the feasibility of a large-scale, collaborative league with major promoters. The sentiment reflects Top Rank’s broader reluctance to enter into partnerships that could dilute its brand or weaken its negotiating leverage.
Photo Credit: Matchroom Boxing
Despite the league’s potential to elevate the sport, Top Rank is rumored to be categorically opposed to selling its interests or participating in Alalshikh’s initiative. Sources indicate that Top Rank is committed to maintaining its independence, focusing instead on building its existing brand and avoiding entanglements that might compromise its autonomy.
Ironically, despite their tensions, Top Rank and Riyadh Season entered into a formal partnership in July. However, insiders describe the agreement more as a sponsorship than a true partnership. Riyadh Season’s logos now appear on promotional materials for Top Rank’s events, but reports suggest that Arum plans to downplay this branding, starting with the upcoming event in Verona, New York, on November 2. The relationship between Top Rank and Riyadh Season is thus a complex one, marked by shared commercial interests but underpinned by friction and divergent views on how best to promote boxing globally.
Photo Credit: Matchroom Boxing
In an October interview with boxing journalist Dan Rafael, Arum revealed further insight into the complexities surrounding Alalshikh’s position. Arum claimed that Alalshikh had been pressured by Saudi higher-ups to limit his activities to Riyadh Season and avoid events held outside of Saudi Arabia. Alalshikh responded forcefully, urging fans and media to disregard statements unless they came directly from him. This public back-and-forth underscored the delicate nature of Alalshikh’s standing within Saudi Arabia, as well as the potential constraints on his future ambitions.
Recent remarks by Yasir al-Rumayyan, governor of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), add another layer to the picture. Speaking at the Future Investment Initiative conference in Riyadh on October 29, al-Rumayyan announced a scaled-back international focus for the PIF as oil revenues have slowed, with the fund now aiming to focus more on the domestic economy. Al-Rumayyan disclosed that the PIF’s international investments would be reduced to 18-20% from a previous high of 30%. Since PIF provides the financial backing for Riyadh Season events, this shift could have significant implications for Alalshikh’s ability to stage large-scale international boxing showcases in the future, especially if resources are redirected toward domestic priorities.
Photo Credit: Matchroom Boxing
The ongoing dispute between Bob Arum and Turki Alalshikh highlights a broader clash within boxing’s hierarchy: the tension between traditional promotion styles and new, ambitious market entrants with significant resources. For Arum, Alalshikh’s tactics of directly engaging fighters and attempting to influence sanctioning bodies are affronts to long-standing norms in the sport, potentially undermining the structure that promoters like Top Rank have helped build.
Alalshikh, meanwhile, is seen as a disruptor with a grand vision of transforming boxing into a globally unified enterprise, with Saudi Arabia at its heart. Yet, the financial recalibration of the PIF and Alalshikh’s public rebuke of Arum reveal potential limitations to the ambition. As these two powerful figures continue to clash, the implications for boxing’s future are substantial. Will the sport evolve in response to Alalshikh’s vision, or will traditional promoters like Arum ultimately resist and retain control?
The power struggle between Arum and Alalshikh is far from over, and its impact on the boxing world could be profound and lasting.
Subscribe to the Brunch Boxing website, Twitter and Podcast for more updates and in-depth coverage of the world of boxing in and out of the ring.
Brunch Boxing Support Links:
Great stuff
👀