Turki Alalshikh has unfollowed every account he ever followed after receiving criticism from some in the boxing world.
Whether the two are related is unknown, but the head of the Riyadh Season entertainment scene went on a cull recently, including World Boxing News and many other of the sport’s accounts. Alalshikh failed to explain his actions, which stemmed from a wave of criticism from Canelo and fans, who subsequently complained of being blocked.
There seems to be a trend in boxing since Alalshikh became ‘the most influential,’ according to a vote in which nobody was allowed to cast their opinion. Boxing’s hierarchy seems to have warmed to the notion despite initial opposition from Oscar De La Hoya.
But you either welcome Alalshikh, who has 6.9 million followers on X, or you’re against his involvement in the sport. It seems to be that simple. There are no gray areas, as his plan to revolutionize boxing does come with a considerable disclaimer.
Some top promoters, many of who have been driving the sport for decades, will not welcome the planned significant changes, including a boxing league similar to UFC involving head honcho Dana White. WBN Lead Writer Alan Dawson elaborated on this notion earlier this week.
The other is reducing the amount United States citizens have to lay out for Pay Per Views, a move that will drastically impact Canelo if successful. Whether that move is a direct retaliation against the Mexican superstar is up for debate. Gervonta Davis, another champion who rejected working with Alalshikh, would also be hit by any reduction in PPV prices.
Explaining his plan, Alalshikh told talkSPORT this week, “I dream of a PPV with a good price to make the fans happy, get them to subscribe, and get them to watch it legally. Usually, when I see a high PPV, a lot of people go and watch the fight illegally, and this is not healthy for boxing and the platform.
“What I will try to push is to have our Riyadh Season shows at less than £20 in England and less than $20 around the world. I would prefer to have one million fans subscribe and buy the PPV for £20 than less than 500,000 [for £40].
“The people go around it illegally because the price is high. In the future, this will not build boxing. If I give the fans good fights at a good price, then I will increase the fanbase.”
Even if Alalshikh succeeds in lowering all PPV prices, it’s hard to see how the era of the ‘dodgy box,’ allowing fans to watch every boxing channel and PPV for free, can be stopped.
It’s no longer a matter of streaming the events on a buffering website. Fans are gaining crystal-clear TV images without any signal dropout and paying as little as $25 per month for every single channel worldwide.
Even if a Pay Per View was ten dollars, why would any fan with an IPTV or a ‘dodgy box’ put their hands in their pockets to pay extra?
This must be stopped by the source, which has an ever-changing IP address to combat any notion of blocking the movement.
The views expressed in this article are the opinions of Phil Jay. Learn more, read all articles from the experienced boxing writer, and follow on Twitter @PhilJWBN.
