Saudi Arabia’s huge investments are restoring boxing to the glamor and profile it had under legendary promoter Don King, according to a senior administrator at one of the main organizations for the sport.
“The biggest money is paid here and has been for now two years,” World Boxing Council President Mauricio Sulaiman said in an interview in Riyadh. “The way things are now, it’s like when boxing arrived in Vegas. They are bringing back the Don King Era,” Sulaiman said, referring to the man who promoted some of boxing’s biggest names, including Muhammad Ali and George Foreman.
Driven by Turki Al-Sheikh, a royal court adviser and chairman of the General Entertainment Authority, Saudi Arabia has poured millions of dollars into hosting fights between some of the biggest names in boxing over the past two years. That includes Tyson Fury’s two bouts against Oleksandr Usyk in 2024, which had prize pots of well over $100 million.
The first fight — billed as the Ring of Fire and hosted at a glitzy event in Riyadh attended by football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo and rapper Eminem — generated 1.5 million pay-per-view buys. One of King’s most famous fights was the 1997 rematch between Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield, which attracted almost 2 million pay-per-view buys.
Riyadh’s moves in boxing are part of a broader bet on global sports under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to help diversify the economy, boost quality of life for citizens, soften the kingdom’s image and attract tourists.
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