By: Sean Crose
“Earlier this week, I finalized a deal to acquire 100% of The Ring Magazine, and I want to make a few things clear.” So said Saudi Arabia’s sports honcho, Turki Alalshikh on social media Monday. “The print version of the magazine will return immediately after a two year hiatus,” he continued, “and it will be available in the US and UK markets. The magazine will be fully independent, with brilliant writers and focusing on every aspect in the sport of boxing.”
Rumors had been swirling recently that The Ring was indeed on the verge of being sold. Now the rumors have proven to be true. Oscar De La Hoya, the current/former owner of The Ring, confirmed the news that the publication was purchased by Alalshikh.”I did have some conversations with His Excellency,” De La Hoya told Forbes. “As you know, he loves boxing. One of the staples of the sport is the publication called the Ring Magazine, which was established in 1920. Look, he obviously made the offer that we could not refuse.”
Needless to say, Turki Alalshikh has big plans for the classic publication. “We will restore the legacy of The Ring Rankings to its old mechanism,” he said, “with a fully independent panel that lives up to the Ring Magazine’s golden era. We will continue to raise the prestige of The Ring Titles, and plans are already underway to have a yearly extravagant awards ceremony to celebrate the very best in the boxing industry.”
It’s obvious that Alalshikh is now a major force in boxing writing as well as a promotional giant within the sport itself. Indeed, some of the biggest fights in the world, including next month’s rematch between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, will be presented and hosted by Alalshikh in Saudi Arabia With that being said, it’s clear the man is a fan of the sport, as well as the journalism that goes with it. “In the coming weeks,” Alalshikh said, “we intend to debut a brand new state of the art website and mobile app. We are already in development for a line of Ring Magazine merchandise. The Ring Magazine will be a fully independent company without any involvement from Riyadh Season. In the end, lets get the Bible of Boxing to heights that it has never seen in the past.”
In all likelihood, Ring Magazine has been around longer than any serious fight fan . Classic articles from the now 102 year old publication abound. Ring Magazine is, in fact, a very real part of boxing – as Alalshiikh now is. No doubt the boxing powerhouse aims to leave a legacy like the publication he’s just purchased has. That’s no small task. Alalshkikh, however, clearly feels up for the challenge. The man certainly isn’t lacking in passion and determination.