One of the main figures in contemporary boxing, as incredible as it may sound, is Saudi Arabia’s government consultant Turki Alalshikh. After greenlighting the allocation of significant funds that have allowed the organization of several high-level boxing events, Alalshikh now seems intent on aiming even higher with a project to create a Super League.
The main goal of the project, according to its promoter, is to have the world’s strongest boxers face each other and to crown a single world champion per weight category, just as it used to be before the division of the various international federations. Currently, there are four titleholders for each of the seventeen existing categories, totaling sixty-eight world champions, a situation Alalshikh has called “crazy.”
Another battle the Saudi consultant has declared he wants to tackle is the reduction of prices for viewing the most important matches on pay-per-view, which in some cases have reached as much as $90 in the United States, pushing a large number of fans to opt for illegal streaming. Alalshikh aims to set a maximum price of $20 for purchasing a single event, regardless of its importance.
The intentions described so far have already sparked excitement among fans worldwide, and the main promoters on the international scene also seem inclined to work in the same direction. The head of Matchroom Boxing, Eddie Hearn, has admitted that he and his long-time rival Frank Warren are already in negotiations with Alalshikh to explore the feasibility of his ideas:
“There’s a huge amount of work to take place. We’re in those conversations with him. It’s all part of the plans and strategies that have been discussed… We’re all in for it.”
It will be interesting to see how the Presidents of the WBC, WBA, IBF, and WBO will react to this news: the four international federations, which have gained enormous power over the years, could suddenly become irrelevant if the Super League project succeeds. It will be intriguing to understand whether Turki Alalshikh intends to involve the four bodies in managing the new organizational structure or if he plans to leave them on the sidelines, risking a fierce battle.