The man signing the cheques just set the rules. Turki Alalshikh—Saudi Arabia’s boxing kingmaker and chairman of the General Entertainment Authority—tweeted:
“From this point on, I don’t want to see any more Tom and Jerry-type boxing matches where one fighter is running around the ring and the other is chasing him. We can no longer support these kind of fights with Riyadh Season and The Ring. We want to support fighters who leave it all in the ring and fight with heart and pride.”
So there it is. No more 12-round jogs for a paycheck. No more safety-first gameplans hiding behind the jab. Turki’s laying down the law: entertain, or you’re off the Riyadh payroll.
Punch or get punished
This isn’t a polite request—it’s a public message to every boxer cashing a Saudi payday. If you thought you could stink the joint out and still fly home first class, think again. Turki wants blood, action, and toe-to-toe wars. And given that he controls the money, the venues, the belts, and the narratives—who’s going to argue?
Who’s he really aiming at here? You think this was just a random thought? Or maybe a subtle jab at a few runners from recent cards?
No hiding from the spotlight
Expect pressure now on promoters, matchmakers, and corner teams to deliver crowd-pleasing scraps. Saudi Arabia didn’t pump billions into boxing just to stage glorified sparring sessions. Turki wants slugfests, not strategy classes. The message is clear: adapt, or go fight somewhere else—for less.
So, what happens the next time a fighter goes full track star and squeaks out a decision? Does Turki blacklist him? Pull the funding? Make a spectacle out of it?
Turki’s warning leaves no room for half measures.