Riyadh Season’s drive into combat sports continued this week via a partnership with Top Rank, one of the world’s largest boxing promotions.
Headed by Bob Arum, who has been involved in the sport for over six decades, Top Rank has partnered with the Saudi Arabian sports and entertainment organisation covering a number of its bills.
Sponsorship is the core focus of the deal, with Riyadh Season sponsoring 12 Top Rank boxing events for the remainder of the year and into 2025, further extending its reach and visibility in boxing.
The agreement was signed by Turki Alalshikh, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Arabian General Entertainment Authority (GEA). The GEA is the organiser of Riyadh Season, and Alalshikh is a vocal fan of boxing.
Riyadh Season arguably made its name through its commitment to the boxing scene, having hosted some high-profile bouts in the Saudi capital of Riyadh since 2019. This has included multiple world title fights, most notably the recent undisputed bout between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk.
The season hopes to expand its reach beyond Saudi shores, however, building on its extensive visibility and audience built up via the aforementioned world title fights. The US is a particular target market for the series, unsurprisingly given the country’s history in boxing, as well as its status as the world’s most valuable sports market.
Riyadh Season will host its first-ever boxing event in the US, and its first outside of Saudi Arabia on 3 August. The event will see Terence Crawford and Israil Madrimov fight for the WBA and WBO Interim Super Welterweight Titles at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.
Boxing is not the only sport Riyadh Season is involved in, however. The series has been busy forging links with various other sports scenes, notably golf, tennis, the UFC and motorsports.
