Riyadh Season is now aligned with most of the top players both in the U.K. and the U.S.
Golden Boy Promotions and Top Rank both revealed separate partnerships with the Turki Alalshikh-led movement on Monday. Their announcements came within minutes of each other, both with the promise to further raise awareness of the sport.
The details of their deals varied in specifics. Golden Boy has already proven to be a cooperative partner with its push towards ticket sales for Riyadh Season’s U.S. debut on Aug. 3 in Los Angeles. Terence Crawford (40-0, 31 knockouts) challenges WBA 154-pound titlist Israil Madrimov (10-0-1, 7 KOs) in the main event. Neither boxer nor anyone else currently on the undercard have any ties to Golden Boy, which speaks to its commitment to advance the series.
Golden Boy’s first foray will officially begin on Aug. 10 at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas. Vergil Ortiz (21-0, 21 KOs)—one of its top stars—faces interim WBC junior middleweight titlist Serhii Bohachuk (24-1, 23 KOs) in the DAZN main event. Riyadh Season’s presence will be felt through shoulder programming and on fight night.
“The agreement solidifies Golden Boy and Riyadh Season’s commitment to elevating the sport of boxing by leveraging the strengths of both entities,” Golden Boy said in a company statement.
Golden Boy has an exclusive output deal with DAZN, the preferred network of Alalshikh and his investment group.
Top Rank’s deal calls for 12 Riyadh Season-sponsored events through the rest of 2024 and into 2025.
The Las Vegas-based outfit runs its content exclusively through ESPN and its platforms. Top Rank was intimately involved with the inaugural Riyadh Season event last Oct. 28. The show was headlined by Tyson Fury (34-1-1, 24 KOs), who is co-promoted by Top Rank and Queensberry Promotions. Fury overcame a knockdown to barely edge former UFC champion and boxing debutant Francis Ngannou in their non-title fight.
Seven months later, Fury dropped a twelve-round decision to Oleksandr Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs) in their memorable May 18 Ring/undisputed heavyweight championship. Both events headlined ESPN+ Pay-Per-View events from Riyadh. Usyk and Fury are due to run it back on Dec. 21, also in Riyadh.
Top Rank also promotes Jared Anderson (17-0, 15 KOs), who faces Martin Bakole (20-1, 15 KOs) on the Aug. 3 show.
“The partnership will use the power and reach of both organizations to elevate the sport,” Top Rank said in a statement similar to Golden Boy’s mission. “Riyadh Season will have a presence across a host of Top Rank bills, both in the build-up and on fight night.”
Golden Boy and Top Rank are two of the most prominent stateside outlets. They are now part of the same boxing universe that already includes U.K. powerhouses Queensberry Promotions and Matchroom Boxing. BOXXER will also enter the fold on the group’s Sept. 21 U.K. launch, headlined by the Daniel Dubois-Anthony Joshua IBF heavyweight title fight.
