It's been a long
A long time coming, but I know
A change gon' come
Oh yes, it will
So crooned the irascible Sam Cooke, staunch friend of Muhammad Ali and a man considered one of the most influential soul artists of all time.
And those unforgettable lyrics began playing loud and proud in my head last week when I started reading about His Excellency Turki Alalshikh’s latest move.
His Excellency’s influence on the noble art in the last two years cannot be overestimated. Indeed, trade paper Boxing News named him as the most powerful person in the sport earlier this year.
The Chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority is operating on a level the sport has simply not seen before, and may not see again, so the news that he has acquired The Ring suggests a game-changer when it comes to the whole structure of the sport.
These are extraordinary times for boxing, a sport which for years suffered and became somewhat marginalised due to the best – for a myriad of reasons - not fighting the best.
It’s no secret that UFC has gained such worldwide popularity – and key TV dates – in such a relatively short space of time purely because the best are consistently fighting the best. The fights get made, the fighters can’t duck, and there is one ranking system.
Dana White is the CEO and president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship and rules the sport with an iron grip. Dana is the super smart Alpha of the organisation. He's always hanging out with the most relevant influencers and as a result bringing the right kind of public attention to the UFC and its champions and contenders.
James Chance/Getty Images
Boxing at last seems to be taking note of its combat cousin, and there can be no question that His Excellency Turki Alalshikh has been the prime mover in making these elite world title fights happen in recent times. Riyadh Season has been incredible and really shaken up the sport.
Alas the current plethora of rankings, sanctioning bodies and moody belts is undeniably still hurting the sport.
Just the other week we saw the sublime followed by the ridiculous when Artur Beterbiev edged out Dmitry Bivol – for all the light-heavyweight marbles – in a classic on DAZN.
The 39-year-old became the division's first four-belt world champion after securing a split-decision win. It was a result that polarised opinion among fight fans. Yet while the result was debated, the quality on display was not and everyone marvelled at the skills on show as the two best at 175 treated us to 36 minutes of sublime sporting drama.
Yet literally days later, Beterbiev was ordered to defend his IBF light-heavyweight title against mandatory challenger Michael Eifert.
The 13-1 (5) Eifert won an IBF title eliminator against the former light-heavyweight champ Jean Pascal in March 2023 and has been waiting for his shot ever since.
Now we have no axe to grind with the young German – who like all contenders is ambitious and wants to be a champion - but why on earth should we have to see Beterbiev vs. Eifert, when the whole world is crying out for Beterbiev vs. Bivol 2?
Changing the boxing landscape forever
And while we are at it, the IBF’s current top 10 heavyweight rankings do not include Tyson Fury, who in December will rematch current heavyweight king Oleksandr Usyk. Just let that sink in. Fury is not ranked by the IBF. Make it make sense please.
The IBF has come under a lot of criticism over the years for forcing their mandatories – regardless of circumstances (and indeed logic) - and 'ruining' undisputed fights.
‘The Gypsy King’ himself seems perplexed by it all, saying to The Stomping Ground recently: "I'm not sure why they wouldn't want their belt for two undisputed fights.
"I'm obviously, if not the best, the second-best heavyweight on the planet. And I'm not good enough to be in their top 15? It's a joke, isn't it?"
It sure is, Tyson.
Now let us be clear. The beef here is not nitpicking over somebody being rated at #4 when we think he should be #2 or similar. Ratings are, after all, in part subjective and a matter of opinion.
Yet for any reputable sanctioning body such as the IBF not to rank Fury among the top 15 current heavyweight boxers in the world – given his skill set and body of work over the last decade - is just ridiculous.
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There was a time when boxing was - without question - considered among the top two or three most popular sports in the whole world. Everyone knew who the champions were, and everybody wanted to see them box.
Truth be told, the noble art is not a straightforward sport to follow anymore. It survives amid the chaos. Fight fans continue to be bamboozled by a seemingly bottomless pit of titles.
At the highest level, there should be a single champion per weight class and said champion – if fit and healthy - should defend his or her title against the No. 1 ranked challenger at every reasonable opportunity.
What’s not to like?
Fully independent boxing rankings
It is refreshing then to hear that His Excellency wants to restore the validity and prominence of the Ring rankings.
“The magazine will be fully independent, with brilliant writers and focusing on every aspect in the sport of boxing,” read the post on Alalshikh’s social media channels. “We will restore the legacy of The Ring Rankings to its old mechanism with a fully independent panel that lives up to the Ring Magazine’s golden era.”
The Ring - despite being taken out of print two years ago under Oscar De La Hoya’s ownership – has retained relevance thanks to its widely respected rankings, which are currently decided by an independent panel of respected industry figures.
If these rankings become the rankings - and the already coveted Ring Magazine belts become the belts - then it could pave the way for a one world title per weight class utopian future for boxing while simultaneously spelling the end for the alphabet boys and their illogic ranking lists.
Make no mistake, this is an undeniable power move by His Excellency Turki Alalshikh and could change the whole landscape of the sport forever.
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