Top Rank CEO Bob Arum recently revealed important information about the future plans for sports events in Saudi Arabia. During an interview on the Fight Freaks Unite podcast with Dan Rafael, Arum explained that Turki Alalshikh, a key figure in organizing sports events in the kingdom, has faced criticism from his superiors for recent decisions.
Arum detailed that Alalshikh was questioned for holding events outside of the Riyadh Season as well as outside the country. This criticism has emerged following rumors about the supposed failure of the event held in Los Angeles, which some considered a fiasco and a great embarrassment for the Saudi kingdom.
Dan Rafael introduced the topic by mentioning the events that were held outside the traditional Riyadh Season. In response, Bob Arum stated: “I think there was a lot of pushback on his excellency for doing fights outside of Saudi Arabia and outside of Riyadh Season.”
Bob Arum also pointed out that, to take advantage of the large budget allocated for these types of spectacles, it will be essential for future events to take place in Saudi Arabia, specifically during the Riyadh Season. “So I think going forward, you know, in order to tap into the large budget that they will have to do the fights in Riyadh Season in Saudi Arabia, which makes sense,” Arum explained.
This shift in strategy could be a direct response to the unsatisfactory outcomes of events held in other locations, like Los Angeles, which, according to rumors, did not meet the kingdom’s expectations. It is expected that, in the future, the most important fights will once again focus on Saudi Arabia, in line with the policy set by Saudi authorities to maximize the country’s global visibility and impact.
The criticism towards Turki Alalshikh reflects a clear intention to maintain a focus on the kingdom’s internal promotion, aligning events with the country’s growth strategy. The coming months could be key in observing how Saudi Arabia adjusts its approach to organizing events, with the Riyadh Season being the central focus.
Bob Arum confirms that Turki received pushback from his higher ups for doing events outside of Riyadh Season/Saudi + will need to do events in Saudi Arabia in future to use the budget. This follows rumors that the LA event was a huge flop and an huge embarrassment to the kingdom. pic.twitter.com/gj6kQMuOaF
— Bay_J (@bay_jev) October 19, 2024
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