TKO Group has officially entered the world of boxing with its new promotion after signing a long-term, multi-year partnership with the Saudi-backed entertainment entity Sela.
The new boxing promotion will see TKO become a managing partner, with day-to-day operations led by UFC President Dana White and WWE President Nick Khan.
HE Turki Alalshikh, Chair of the Saudi General Entertainment Authority (GEA) and a growing figure in sports in his own right, will also play a major role in establishing the boxing promotion as one of the “leading powerhouses” in the sport.
White and Alalshikh have promised to introduce sweeping changes to how boxing is run, calling for changes which they believe will improve the sport.
Some of the changes they have already highlighted include one world championship per weight division, rankings operated by TKO, and more importantly for boxing fans, the best fighting the best.
Upon the announcement of the TKO boxing promotion launch, White spoke to ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith and Molly Qerim, revealing more about the promotion.
He said: “I’m looking forward to implementing changes that I think will definitely help the sport, simple things like ‘the best fighting the best’. What I would love to do is build this thing from the ground up the way we did with the UFC.
“Get rid of all the five different champions, and five different sanctioning organisations, and they will just be one (champion).”
Reshaping the model
Many boxing fans have been clamouring for a simplification of the sport for some time. This has included the notion of introducing one world championship per weight division to eliminate the need for multiple sanctioning organisations.
The four recognised world boxing sanctioning bodies – the World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Council (WBC), International Boxing Federation (IBF), and World Boxing Organisation (WBO) have been routinely criticised for their stranglehold on the sport for the past 70 years.
Applying sanctioning fees per world title fight and mandating opponents for world championships has seen the four bodies criticised for enabling boxers to not fight the very best opponents of their weight class.
TKO stated that it will look to reshape the sport and run live events and cards in a similar vein to the UFC.
“(We will) build cards from the first fight to the last fight of the night just like we do in the UFC. Everyone keeps asking me what’s the model, you know the model, the model is exactly what we’ve done in the UFC,” said White.
“People want to see great fights at the end of the day. Boxing has become this thing where you have to be undefeated for people to care about you. That’s all going to go away. There’s a lot of guys we’re looking at to be a part of this roster, there’s a lot of 90s (on their record), they’re all going to fight each other.”
TKO revealed that the new promotion will feature a “highly structured system to develop new talent from around the world, including athlete combines and academies”.
The new boxing promotion also promises to deliver best-in-class in-arena experiences, broadcasts, production, media and promotional expertise. Boxers on the TKO roster will also receive access to the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas, Mexico City and Shanghai.
Saudi’s boxing influence
It may come as no surprise to many that Alalshikh will be heavily involved with the launch of the TKO boxing promotion. The Saudi official is an avid boxing fan and has been instrumental in setting up some of the biggest fights over the past several years, including Oleksandr Uysk vs. Tyson Fury and Dmitry Bivol vs. Artur Beterbiev.
These high-profile cards formed part of the wider Riyadh Season, Saudi Arabia’s new annual sports festival. The addition of Sela as a promotional and entertainment partner will further entrench the Saudi government and business ecosystem’s role. The Ring Magazine, boxing’s oldest publication, was acquired by the Saudi GEA towards the end of last year.
Alalshikh commented on the launch, stating: “This landmark partnership between industry powerhouses sets the stage for an unparalleled experience for boxers and fans.
“Together, we are developing the next generation of talent and delivering world-class events at a time when the sport is primed for further disruption.”
For its part, Sela will promote TKO boxing events in the future, as it has done previously for previous Riyadh Season boxing cards. The Public Investment Fund (PIF) company has established a presence in Formula One via sponsorship at the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix, as well as being the front-of-shirt sponsor for Newcastle United.
Dr. Rakan Alharthy, Managing Director and CEO of Sela, added: “This partnership between HE Turki Alalshikh, Sela, and TKO will turn the page on a new chapter in boxing history.
“Together, we will elevate the sport to new heights and redefine the fan experience for a worldwide audience. The promotion will create a sustainable future for boxing and reinforce Sela’s position as a powerhouse in global sports and entertainment.”
