03/10/2025
A historic night of boxing is once again being overshadowed by things happening outside of the ring.
Touted as “The Greatest Card Ever” by its organizers, The February 22, Riyadh Season event, “The Last Crescendo” saw fighters from six separate promotional entities descend upon Turki Alalshikh’s big top in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to go head-to-head in a series of title matches. The event, broadcasted globally on DAZN PPV, was headlined by the highly anticipated, undisputed light heavyweight rematch between Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev. The entire event was set to be a landmark achievement and show of strength by Turki Alalshikh and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Despite the card’s quality, however, the event has found itself mired in another controversy.
Of the matchups featured, was the highly-controversial WBC Middleweight Championship bout between Carlos Adames and his mandatory challenger Hamzah Sheeraz. Ending in a mind-boggling draw, the fallout from the bout continues.
Photo Credit: Premier Boxing Champions
Three weeks after the event, sources tell La Hora Del Boxeo that some of the fighters have yet to be paid their purse for their bout. Among those fighters is the aforementioned WBC Middleweight Champion Carlos Adames. Even more alarming is the absence of a clear date for when these payments will be made.
One of the biggest stars of the event, Interim WBC Junior Middleweight Champion Vergil Ortiz, is also reportedly among the fighters that have yet to receive the payments stipulated in their contracts. Ortiz secured a unanimous decision victory over Israil Madrimov to retain his WBC title.
The financial uncertainty and lack of a clear timetable for a resolution, not only impacts the athletes, but also raises questions about the organization behind Riyadh Season—a group, led by Turki Alalshikh, that has invested heavily in the attempt to establish Saudi Arabia as one of the world’s premier boxing destinations.
Both fighters have privately expressed frustration over the delayed payments.
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