LAS VEGAS — Boxing financier Turki Alalshikh joined Golden Boy Promotions founder Oscar De La Hoya inside the Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas for an impromptu live interview Saturday.
World Boxing News attended the event and heard the influential execs discuss plans for a double-header super event featuring some of the biggest names in boxing.
Golden Boy began an official relationship with Alalshikh last month when, on July 22, the promoter announced a “new partnership” with Riyadh Season.
Riyadh Season hosted its debut US event, which World Boxing News attended on August 3 to see Terence Crawford beat Israil Madrimov in the main event of a super welterweight world title fight at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.
Alalshikh made the trip from LA to Vegas for Golden Boy’s first Riyadh Season-sponsored show, with Vergil Ortiz and Serhii Bohachuk combining for an epic Fight of the Year. Ortiz won by majority decision to claim the WBC interim super welterweight title.
In an announcement broadcast inside the arena, and also on DAZN, De La Hoya and Alalshikh talked up the possibility of a big boxing double-header featuring Ortiz against Terence Crawford, and William Zepeda vs Shakur Stevenson.
“We want to make the big fights,” said De La Hoya. “We want Crawford next.”
“Yes,” Alalshikh agreed. “We will give Crawford [a] big offer to do this and let’s see. And not this only. We want to see Shakur and Zepeda.”
“On the same card!” De La Hoya said excitedly. “Let’s do it!”
Huge double-header promised by @Turki_alalshikh and @OscarDeLaHoya #CrawfordOrtiz #StevensonZepeda
🎥 @DAZNBoxingpic.twitter.com/dmLCSfgrEs
— World Boxing News (@WorldBoxingNews) August 12, 2024
Elsewhere, Alalshikh said he has no plans to work with Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, with whom he has entered a social media beef with.
Neither will he work with Tim Tszyu, he said.
Riyadh Season’s affiliation with Golden Boy, as well as the one it has with Top Rank, are sponsorship agreements rather than partnerships, a source with knowledge of the deals told World Boxing News last week in LA.
Alan Dawson is World Boxing News Lead Writer, a 2 x Sports Journalist of the Year finalist, and 5 x BWAA awards winner. Follow Alan @AlanDawsonSport.
